Apollo alone
by Illuse
Summary: Apollo is kidnapped from his hospital bed, and Athena and Phoenix must race to solve the case and rescue him! This is my first upload, so feedback is greatly appreciated!
1. Chapter1

Date-December 12, 11:47 AM

Location- Hickfield Clinic

Athena skipped ahead of Phoenix and Trucy down the hospital corridor, her long ponytail swinging excitedly.

"Aww man, I can't wait to see him!" She enthused, hopping up and down.

"Didn't you visit him last week?" asked Phoenix. Apollo had been resting at the Hickfield clinic for a week now, while Phoenix and Athena had taken up his legal case. After days of stressful investigating and compiling of evidence, they had both decided that paying Apollo a visit would be great relaxer for everyone. Not that Athena hadn't been periodically slipping out to see him.

"Yeah, but he slept the whole time. Booring." Athena chirped over her shoulder. She was a good 10 feet ahead of them now, and gaining. Athena tended to take bigger steps the more excited she got. As it was now, she was practically lunging her way down the hall.

"Did you bring the deck Athena?" Piped Trucy from Phoenix's side. Part of the reason that Athena was so far ahead was because of Trucy's tiny legs. She had Nick's hand in a vice grip so he had to measure his steps to hers. "I taught Athena a new card game, and she's going to play it with Polly!" Trucy smiled up at him as she walked.

"I'm gonna kick his butt!" Athena shouted from halfway down the hall.

"Athena, you're too loud." Phoenix called to her. He had noticed a growing number of nurses and orderlies glaring at them as they passed. He couldn't help but redden as they passed a large poster reading, "A quiet hospital is a happy hospital!"

By the time Nick and Trucy reached the nurses station, Athena was waiting impatiently.

"Took you long enough." She teased.

Nick ignored her, and stepped past to face the nurse behind the desk. He flashed the woman a smile and said pleasantly, "Hello, we're here to see Apollo Justice?"

The woman, who had a short, bluntly cut bob and a pair of red glasses, smiled back before flipping through a clipboard of paperwork. She stopped abruptly and made an odd face.

Nick frowned "Is everything alright?" Trucy stood on her tippy toes in an attempt to peek over the counter. Athena made a groaning sound, and Nick shot her an annoyed look. She was a whiz as a lawyer, but also an enormous pain in his butt.

The nurse looked up from her papers and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, but it says here he's not allowed visitors."

"Whaaaaaat?" Trucy whined up at the ceiling. Athena made a sound like a car starting.

Phoenix frowned at the woman, noting that her nametag read "Julie". "There must be something wrong. We've visited him before, and I don't think he would have said- Athena will you stop that!" Athena shut her mouth and quit the droning noise she'd been making. While Nick and "Julie" argued about visitors and paperwork, Trucy and Athena exchanged bored looks. After around 2 minutes of standing around, Athena finally let out yet another groan.

"UGH! I can't take this waiting anymore!" She slapped her hand across the desk top before sweeping it up into a salute. "See ya boss, I'm going to go see Apollo!" With that, she took off down the corridor at a sprint.

Julie leaned out over the counter in shock. "Please don't run ma'am!" She shouted, then almost as an afterthought she called, "Please come back, you're not allowed over there!"

Phoenix stared after Athena, unsure whether to be angry or amused. He certainly didn't want to deal with this confused nurse either, but he knew just how worried Athena had been about Apollo. The first week he'd caught her sneaking off to call and check up on him at least once every two hours. This was the first time they were all coming together to visit him, and the first time Nick had seen him at all. He had half a mind to run down the hall with her and blow off this panicking woman, but that wasn't really his disposition.  
"Sir, I'm really sorry but it says no visitors!" Julie flapped a medical sheet at him. She had turned a bright shade of red, and was chewing the inside of her cheek in embarrassment.  
Phoenix didn't recognize her, which was odd. He was good friends with the owner of the clinic, and thought he knew everyone who worked there. Her name tag was crisp and new looking. "That would explain a lot", thought Nick.  
"Look," he said to Julie, "I know Mr. Hickfield, so why don't I just call him and we can figure this all out."  
Julie blanched. "Y-you know Mr. Hickfield?" She stammered. Phoenix did a mental face palm. He hadn't realized how much his previous statement had sounded like a threat.  
"Yeah, my name is Phoenix Wright. I helped him out with a legal case a while back. Can we please just -"  
"BOSS!"  
Phoenix started, turning to see Athena screaming down the hallway towards them.  
"Good lord Athena! Keep your voice d-"  
Athena interrupted him again. "He's gone! He's not there!"  
Phoenix's stomach twisted. "Who's gone Athena?" He asked, though deep down he knew the answer.  
"Apollo! Apollo's missing!"

•. •. •. •. •. •. •. •. •. •.

When Apollo had checked in, Phoenix had pulled some strings with Mr. Hickfield to get him a good room. It was the last in the hallway, and on a corner of the building. Its position meant that instead of having one small window, it actually had two enormous ones. The hospital bed was set up alongside the north window, facing the east one. In the other corner was a chair and small end table.  
When they entered, instead of being greeted by a smiling Apollo, they faced an empty bed. The sheets were twisted, the majority of them had fallen on the floor. Apollo's red vest, pants and blue tie were folded neatly on a chair. Clay's jacket hung over the back.  
Phoenix felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. The room had so obviously been ransacked it was impossible to argue anything else.  
"What do we do? I mean, I just..." Athena trailed off, looking up at him with an expression of mixed horror and despair.  
Phoenix didn't say anything. He stared ahead, unable to tear his eyes from the empty bed.  
"Maybe he went for a walk?" piped Trucy.  
Athena put her hands on her head. "I thought about that. But look at this," she said, stepping forward and gesturing to the bed. "His IV's been pulled out."  
Sure enough, the small needle was laying atop the sheets, gauze still stuck to it. A minuscule drop of blood had fallen and stained the cloth.  
"Could he have run away?" Said Trucy again.  
Athena sucked in a sharp breath at her words. A tear rolled down her cheek, and her expression was as if she'd been slapped.  
"No that's not it. Clay's jacket is still here. He wouldn't leave without that." Said Phoenix. As much as he wanted to debate the likely hood of Apollo running away, he knew what the boy was going through. He could hardly fault him for wanting to get away. "Trucy? Could you go check with Julie? Just make sure we're not overreacting." He smiled lovingly at his adopted daughter. She gave him a pained look but went away. Trucy had a knack for catching his lies, which made it difficult to protect her sometimes.  
Phoenix plowed a hand through his hair in contemplation. What happened here? The room had obviously been searched, but there didn't seem to be anything missing. Could Apollo have run away? It seemed extremely unlikely. He hadn't parted with that jacket since it was released from evidence. Phoenix doubted he would leave it now. Cupping his hand over his mouth, Phoenix stared out the window in contemplation. He hoped that to God that Trucy would traipse back in with Apollo anytime now.  
Then from just behind him came a noise so full of despair it sent Nick's heart rocketing to the bottom of his stomach. He turned to see Athena holding her phone, one hand clamped over her mouth, Tears streaming down her face.  
Phoenix felt sick. "What? What is it?" He almost didn't want to know.  
Athena held out her phone. "I know what happened to Apollo" she choked.  
The anonymous message read, "IF YOU WANT TO SEE APOLLO JUSTICE ALIVE YOU WILL DROP THE STARBUCK CASE". 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Date-December 12, 10:27 AM

Location- ?

The world seemed to pulse around Apollo as he lay. As consciousness flowed back to his body, his senses came back in waves. He kept his eyes shut as his head throbbed dizzily, while the world around him began to materialize. The surface below him was lumpy, and creaked when he moved. It felt unstable, as if it was floating on water. There was a pressure on his chest that made it hard to take a full breath.  
He was cold in his clothes. The grey t-shirt he'd been given at the hospital was thin, and had a low hanging neck, exposing his collarbone, and his pajama pants had rolled halfway up one leg. His feet were bare, and so cold he could barely feel the toes.  
Where am I? Thought Apollo. He opened his eyes for a moment, then squeezed them shut again as a wave of nausea swept over him. Instinctively, he went to cover his mouth, but found his arms bound tightly behind his back. Opening his eyes, Apollo realized with a shock that the pressure on his chest was from the length of rope ensnaring his upper arms before looping down around his wrists. He now realized as well that the strange taste in his mouth was due to the cloth tied tightly around it.  
Groggy though he was, Apollo's mind raced. How did I get here? Where exactly is here? He had been in the world of law long enough to know what a kidnapping looked like, though he hadn't quite expected to ever experience one himself. What were you supposed to do when you found yourself in that kind of situation? What was HE supposed to do?  
Apollo caught his heart beat accelerating, and willed himself to calm down. He took a slow deep breath through his nose and told himself rhythmically, "I'm fine, I'm going to be fine."  
"First things first," he thought, "I need to figure out where and what this place is." Apollo decided to approach the situation as a crime scene investigation, only with him as the victim. He needed to gather as much information as possible if he was going to be rescued, or escape himself.  
In his current position, he was laying on his side, facing a concrete wall. Apollo rolled slowly to a sitting position, doing his best to ignore the nausea that pulsed through his skull. "I've been drugged," he thought. "That's probably how I got here." He tried to remember anything before waking up where he was now, but the memories were all smeared together, making them indistinguishable.  
Shaking his head to clear it, Apollo took stock of his surroundings. The room was essentially a large concrete cube, with a sturdy looking door in the far corner. The ceiling was low, and a single lightbulb hung from a wire at its center. It seemed to be on its last legs, as its slight flicker and orange tint reminded Apollo of candlelight. Dim as it was, the light didn't reach to the corners of the room and there were inky shadows on the walls. A single spindly table stood directly under the bulb, also in the center of the room. It cast a solid circular shadow on the ground beneath it. On the table stood a few crumpled water bottles, and, Apollo noticed with surprise, his bracelet. He hadn't even noticed it was missing from his wrist. Why had it been removed? Did they think it was valuable? He didn't know. Apollo looked down at what he was sitting on. It was a stained mattress lain atop an old metal bed frame. Any movement he made caused the entire thing to creak and bow. He frowned. That would make stealth difficult.  
The door in the corner seemed to be made of metal. The faulty light meant it was shrouded in darkness, but from what Apollo could see it had a smooth texture. No wood grain. There was what seemed to be a small window above the handle, but Apollo couldn't see what was on the other side from where he was.  
Intending to go and peek through, Apollo scooted to the edge of the bed and swung his feet over. His ankles hadn't been bound, so walking wouldn't be a problem. Or so he thought.  
The instant he put weight on his feet, they slid out from under him and sent him crashing to the floor. Without the ability the use his hands, Apollo landed hard on his side. A muffled cry escaped through the gag as pain exploded up his arm and across his chest.  
When the bomb went off in courtroom four, Apollo had been partially crushed by falling rubble. Then that very same day, he had been bludgeoned with a rock by Ted Tonate, the bomber himself. Though it had been two weeks, his wounds were still far from healed. The bandages across his arms and chest hid bruises, burns, and more than a few stitches. Three of his ribs were still bruised and tender. Falling hard on a concrete floor certainly wasn't good for any of his injuries.  
Apollo curled on his side, biting the cloth in his mouth and trying to breathe through the pain. The arm he'd fallen on was beginning to feel wet. He guessed he's probably torn the tender, burned skin. While it was painful, Apollo had learned a valuable lesson. He was still very fragile from his wounds. Fighting with his kidnapper would be out of the question. He doubted he'd have the strength to run if he couldn't even stand.  
There was only one thing he knew for sure. He was in big trouble. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Date-December 12, 12:15 AM

Location- Hickfield Clinic

Phoenix had worked kidnapping cases before. Being a lawyer as long as he had, he'd seen some horrible things. But never before had someone so close to him been the victim. Normally, he would have been able to look at the case in an objective light, analyze the facts and form logical conclusions. But not now. Now his head was spinning with worst case scenarios, images of Apollo dead or dying at the hands of some madman or woman. He couldn't even begin to think of who would have motive to do something like this.  
Athena was destroyed. A few moments after the first message had come another, this time with a picture of Apollo bound, gagged, and unconscious had appeared in her inbox. The words "the clock is ticking for justice" were overlaid on the image. Athena was sitting in the corner chair, her head in her hands. She hadn't spoken for five minutes, but was staring silently at the floor as tears dropped from her chin.  
Trucy stood next to her. Phoenix had told her that Apollo has been kidnapped, but hadn't shown her either of the messages. Trucy was quite possibly the closest to Apollo, and it didn't seem fair to keep her in the dark.  
Suddenly, Phoenix was angry. How dare they. Apollo had been through hell in the last few weeks. Nick had been hoping to see him smile, maybe even laugh for the first time since clay died. To throw him back into the whole thing was... It would be torture for him.  
"Athena, give me your phone." said nick.  
She held it out in a shaking hand without saying anything.  
Nick took it and opened the camera function. He turned to Trucy. "Can I trust you to take pictures of everything?" He said, pressing the phone into her hands.  
She looked up at him. There was a fire burning in her face that Nick has never seen before.  
"Anything to help Apollo." she replied as she curled her fingers around the phone.  
Phoenix squeezed her hand in reassurance. He had never seen her so serious before, not to mention how rarely she used Apollos actual name.  
"I'm going to call the police. I'll just be outside" he said, standing and moving to the door.  
Athena stood suddenly. Her eyes were a burning red. And her face looked sticky. "I'm coming too." she blurted.  
Phoenix gave her a surprised but he hoped comforting look. "It'll just be a short call Athena. Why don't you help Trucy?"  
"No. I want to hear what the police say. "She glared at him.  
Phoenix stepped out into the hall and flipped open his own phone. Athena followed, her arms folded tightly, and stood at his side. He debated for a moment whether to call 911, or to directly call detective Fullbright. He decided on Fullbright, rationalizing that he would probably send help faster.  
The detective answered almost instantly. "Hello, Fullbright speaking!" He said jubilantly.  
"Hi, this is Phoenix wright. Umm... We've got a problem". He realized as he was speaking, that he'd never called Fullbright before. He'd never even really talked to him outside of court or a crime scene.  
"What's your problem friend? I'll do my best to solve it!" Fullbright laughed into the speaker. He was unusually happy today. Phoenix could tell it was irritating Athena, who was grinding her teeth behind him.  
"Detective, Apollo's been kidnapped." He said bluntly, not quite knowing how else to say it.  
"What?! Are you sure?" There was a slamming sound in the background, as if he had dropped something.  
"We're sure. The culprit sent Athena a threat and a picture. He was taken from his bed at the Hickfield clinic. "  
"Ok, don't go anywhere! I'm sending some men to meet you there. Don't delete those messages!" With that he hung up.  
Phoenix turned to Athena.  
"When those officers get here this place is going to get a lot busier." he said. "We should gather information before they get here just to be sure."  
"I'll talk to the nurses and see if they saw anything" said Athena. Her voice was cold, and her eyes seemed sharp. She, like Phoenix, had gotten past the phase of shock and now blistered with anger. She moved past him purposefully, her long ponytail trailing behind her. Phoenix noticed that her fists were tightly clenched. She gave him the impression of a coiled spring, on the brink of explosion. He sighed, and sent up a prayer for any police officer who got on her bad side.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  
Athena moved through the hospital like a storm. The first nurse she'd come across had shooed her away until she showed her attorney badge. Even then the woman hadn't known much anyways. Athena was getting more and more pissed off the less people knew anything.  
But more than anything she was worried about Apollo. He'd been recovering at a much slower rate than she'd hoped he would, and she hadn't really been able to talk to him since he was attacked. He was avoiding her, that much she could tell. She knew why too, though she wished she didn't.  
Apollo wasn't the secretive type, and Athena had spent enough time with him that she could spot his lies from a mile away. Not to mention hear the agony in his heart. The day he's shown up to court with a bandaged eye, the outcry of his soul was deafening. He was falling apart, but he'd never admit it.  
"I'm fine..."  
She knew how he felt. To feel like you couldn't trust anyone. To be confused, guilty, and scared. All he wanted was to get justice for his friend. He wanted the truth, even if it meant tearing apart the life he'd lived for so long. Athena could respect that.  
But she hadn't murdered clay. She would prove that to him, redeem herself to him by rescuing him and solving the case. There was a creeping feeling in her stomach that whoever had kidnapped Apollo had a big hand in the murder of Clay Terran. After all, who would want to stop an investigation but someone who has done something wrong?  
Swelling with determination, Athena tracked down every nurse she could, and actually managed to obtain some good information. Julie gave her a copy of Apollo's medical sheet, which contained the doses and times at which he'd been administered medication. The last entry was at 8:30 the previous night, just before the end of visiting hours.  
Athena had then checked with the security guard at the front entrance to see if there were any security cameras or guest books for the clinic. The guard was a pudgy man with an angular beard, squinty eyes, and red cheeks.  
"We do have security cameras ma'am, but only in the lobbies and on the outside of the building." He said in a friendly booming voice, his cheeks puffing out as he spoke. Athena's heart sank a little. She'd been nursing a ridiculous hope that Apollos kidnapping had been caught on camera.  
"Do you store the footage?" She asked, twirling her hair between her fingers.  
"We do ma'am."  
"Can I see it?"  
"What for? Has something happened?" His eyes glinted from under his bushy eyebrows. No matter how much this guy looked like Santa Claus, Athena could tell he took his job pretty seriously.  
Athena reached into her pocket and pulled out her attorney's badge. She held it up to the man with a slightly devious smile. "Can I see it please?" 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter4 

Date-December 12, 11:42 AM

Location- ?

After some time, Apollo had managed to sit up on his knees. He didn't dare attempt to stand again, as the first time had left the bandages on his right arm blood stained. Instead, he hobbled about on his knees, making his way slowly over to the door.  
If he could manage to see out the window, he might be able to figure out where he was. That was the first step to figuring out what had happened to him.  
Reaching the far wall, Apollo turned and placed his back against the smooth surface. The concrete was cold against his shoulder blades, and he stiffened at the chill. Slowly, he unfolded his legs and planted his feet on the floor. Pressing his back against the Wall, Apollo used his bare feet to scoot to a standing position. Once he was vertical, he turned so that all of his weight was supported by his shoulder, wincing at the pressure on his bandages.  
In this way Apollo cautiously approached the door. One step at a time, carefully planting each foot before lifting the next. As he got nearer, anticipation began to build in his stomach. That tiny window was his last hope. There was no way to tell where he was just from looking at the inside of the room. Perhaps by peeking out he could glimpse a sign, or a landmark he recognized.  
Right now, he felt like he was trapped in a box that was floating in space. While he was sure his situation was bad inside the room, the world outside was completely unknown. He needed to establish his surroundings before he could plan any kind of escape.  
Apollo had reached the window. He stood with his back flat against the door, and rotated his head to peer out from the side of the small window. It was at exactly his eye level; he was glad he wouldn't have to stretch to see out.  
The window looked out onto a long corridor. Brightly lit by fluorescent bulbs, it stretched away to the left at least 100 feet, and at its end was a set of stairs that curved away into darkness. Along the walls were a number of other doors, similar to the one he was standing behind. They were all closed and padlocked, and over their windows were pieces of paper with varying numbers and letters. The codes seemed familiar to him somehow.  
There were pipes along the walls, with fire sprinklers at set intervals. He could see what appeared to be an electrical box on the far wall by the staircase. There was a piece of paper taped to it but Apollo couldn't see what it said from so far away.  
"Ok", Apollo thought, closing his eyes and doing his best to imagine he was in court. He made a mental file of everything he saw, thumbing through it in his head. "It's got to be industrial," he said to himself. "That style of piping is too heavy duty for a home. There's no windows, and the stairs only go up, so this is probably some kind of basement." He glanced again at the fuse box. It was big. Bigger than he'd seen before. "Lots of fuses... Lots of circuits... Lots of floors?" He pondered.  
Somewhere on the other side of the door, a phone rang.  
Startled, Apollo tripped backwards and fell away from the door. Could that be his captor? Or was it someone who didn't even know he was there? Apollo decided that if it was his captor, he didn't want them to know he had seen out the door. Laying on his back, he half-crawled, half-scooted backwards towards the bed.  
From out in the hallway he heard a voice. It was loud and energetic sounding, but muffled by the thick door and wall. At the same time there was a metallic jangling as keys brushed metal.  
Apollo caught himself sweating. The door was unlocked. He was either about to be rescued, or to meet his kidnapper straight on.  
The door swung open. Apollo gasped in shock.  
Standing in the doorway, silhouetted by the bright bulb lighting, was detective Fullbright.  
Apollos heart soared. "I'm being rescued!" He thought ecstatically, feeling tears of relief well up in his eyes.  
Detective Fullbright crossed the room without saying anything. Apollo was too relieved to notice the odd look in his eye. "Detective!" Apollo cried as best he could through the gag.  
Fullbright approached Apollo, and without stopping swung his foot up, kicking Apollo square in the temple.  
Apollo slammed to the ground, lights exploding behind his eyes. He couldn't think. His mind was grasping at straws, trying desperately to rationalize what had just happened. His head throbbed, though he wasn't sure if it was from the kick, or his confusion.  
Fullbright squatted into Apollos line of sight. He smiled and cocked his head.  
"Surprised?" 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Date-December 12, 12:41 AM

Location- Hickfield Clinic

The arrival of twenty police officers nearly caused a riot in the clinic. People were leaning out of rooms, nurses were scurrying everywhere trying to maintain order. Fullbright handled his men about as well as he handled Prosecutor Blackquill. That is, not at all.  
Hustled out of Apollo's room by forensic techs, Trucy had discreetly handed Phoenix Athena's phone. He felt a little surge of pride as he clicked through the pictures she'd taken. She'd been extremely thorough, capturing everything from every angle. He mussed her hair lovingly and she gave him a strained smile.  
While he did trust the police to do their best job investigating, he'd been at the bad end of a legal case before. It was all too easy to mistake something for trash and wind up accidentally throwing away a vital piece of evidence. He just wanted to have all his bases covered.  
It had taken the police much longer to arrive than he had expected, and even now Fullbright hadn't shown up. Phoenix had gotten a text from him saying he'd gotten held up, and that he'd be a little late.

Athena had returned some time ago with a flash drive in her pocket. When he asked her what it was she smiled and said she'd tell him later. Phoenix noted that she didn't seem to trust the police much either.  
Trucy pulled on phoenix's sleeve.  
"Daddy, are you sure this is ok?" She said quietly.  
Phoenix knitted his brow. "What do you mean?"  
Athena answered for Trucy. "Is it ok to get the police involved, is what she means. If the kidnapper hears about it, Apollo might be in trouble." Her tone was oddly curt. Trucy looked a little surprised at her bluntness. She'd certainly been through the whole spectrum of emotions today.  
Phoenix thought for a moment. He honestly hadn't considered the effect the police would have in regards to the captor themselves. He'd just blundered ahead with his usual procedure. A pang of guilt struck him as he realized he might have just made an enormous mistake.  
Athena noted his silence. She held out her hand for her phone and he gave it to her.  
"It doesn't say anything about not involving the police." She said after re-reading the message several times. "I think it's reasonable to assume they knew we would. I mean, we are lawyers."  
"You're right." Phoenix said with a sigh. But the guilt remained. "If they're using him as leverage they probably wanted it known."  
"I still don't think we should advertise this too much though." Athena said quietly. Phoenix nodded in agreement.

"I'll ask Fullbright to keep it quiet." He whispered. Now, the more police officers he saw swarming about the room, the more he felt ill. There was no way they'd be able to keep this entirely quiet with all the nurses asking questions. Phoenix's stomach twisted sickeningly.

Athena suddenly shoved his shoulder. "It's another message! Another message from the kidnapper!" She held her phone out once again. The message was marked as being sent from a blocked number. Phoenix felt a wave of nausea sweep over him as Athena clicked the select button and opened the message.

After reading it, he wasn't entirely sure how to feel. The message read, "THE POLICE CAN'T HELP YOU. MAKE THE ANNOUNCEMENT OR JUSTICE WILL DIE."

Phoenix swallowed numbly. On one hand he was glad that he hadn't put Apollo in any more danger by calling the police, but on the other was a kind of uselessness he hadn't felt before. The last thing he wanted, and likely Apollo as well, was for the true killer to escape because he gave up.

Fullbright arrived only moments later, sprinting down the hallway with a Manila folder under one arm. He seemed genuinely panicked, as he almost ran over a nurse attempting to cross the hallway.

"Where have you been?" Athena said, in a more than slightly accusatory tone.

"Filling out missing person's paper work." he huffed, waggling the folder. "Took me longer than I expected."

"Have you heard anything from your men yet?" Phoenix asked. Fullbright usually seemed pretty on top of things, but Phoenix had never seen him start an investigation. He couldn't help but wonder if he was this frazzled every time.

"Not yet. Thought I'd check with you folks first." He answered, flashing a big smile.

Thinking the grin a bit inappropriate, Phoenix explained everything they knew, from the messages to the ripped out IV. As soon as he'd finished, a tech approached to announce they were done processing the crime scene. Athena winced at the words "crime scene" being used to describe Apollo's room, and Phoenix himself felt a twinge of something uncomfortable. The officers had photographed everything, and done a sweep for fingerprints. They hadn't done a luminol sweep, as there wasn't any reason to find more blood than the drop on the sheets. He

Fullbright clapped the man on the shoulder, nearly knocking him off balance, and ordered most of the officers back to the precinct to process the info. He kept three of them to continue questioning nurses and staff.

"Does this place have security cameras? We might be able to identify the culprit that way. " Fullbright said.

"It does," answered Athena," but I already looked and I don't see anything out of the ordinary."

"Do you mind if we take a second look? I don't mean to doubt you, it's just a second pair of eyes can't hurt." Fullbright said. Athena nodded silently and led them back to the security booth.

The guard was surprised to see her again, but didn't prevent them from viewing the footage. It wasn't anything special, just two angles on the main hallway documenting the movement of nurses from room to room. They isolated the time after 8:00, when Apollo's last dose of medication had been given, but there wasn't anything odd about it. A nurse came and went to check on the room across from his, but no one came out of his room until they entered the next morning.

Groaning with disappointment, Fullbright excused himself to check up on his remaining men.

Phoenix stared intently at the screen. "Could we see from just before 8:00 please?" He asked the guard. The bushy browed man nodded vigorously and wound back the film.

At 7:54 a man in scrubs strolled down the hall and entered Apollo's room with a tray. At 8:02, he exited carrying the same tray.

Phoenix made an odd noise.

"What is it?" Athena asked, intrigued by phoenix's expression. It seemed ordinary enough to her, the nurse was supposed to go in at that time.

Phoenix leaned close to her and asked, "Do you have a copy of this whole thing?"

She nodded, confused as to why he was being so secretive.

"Then we're good for now. Thank you sir! You've been very helpful!" They exited with smiles, and Phoenix went to speak with Fullbright again while Trucy and Athena waited in the lobby.

Athena twiddled the flash drive in her pocket, wondering if it was the right thing to keep it from the detective. He hadn't seemed very interested in the footage anyways. In fact, Fullbright had seemed a little more scatter brained than usual.

"Athena?"

Athena looked up. Trucy was standing at the window on the far side of the lobby. She was gesturing for Athena to come over.

"What's up?" Athena stood by her side, looking out the window with her.

Trucy pointed to the row of houses across the street. "Second window on the left. See it?" Athena squinted at where Trucy was pointing.

"What am I looking for? I don't..."

Trucy grinned. "See it?"

"Yeah. I see it. "

Across the street, sticking out of the second story window was a telescope.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 

Date-December 12, 12:20 AM

Location- ?

Apollo lay on his side, staring bewildered into the smiling eyes of detective bobby Fullbright.  
This can't be right, he thought. Something is wrong here.  
Fullbright reached out and grabbed a handful of Apollo's shirt, lifting him partially off the ground. He jerked Apollo's face closer to his own, studying it keenly. Fullbright's own face seemed different to Apollo now. The mouth that had so often been split by a friendly grin was now curved up into a smirk. His eyes seemed darker, more shadowed. Apollo wondered if that was due to the poor lighting, or something else entirely.  
Apollo squeezed his eyes shut and flinched as the detective suddenly ripped the bandage from his right eye and threw it to the ground. He realized he was shaking, but couldn't do anything but will himself to stop. Fullbright reached out once more, using his pointer finger and thumb to pry open Apollo's eye. Apollo fought it, but he was still weak from the drugs, as well as caught off guard by the detective's sudden actions.  
Fullbright clicked his tongue, then his face split into a wide grin. Apollo's eyes widened with fear. So close to his face, the intense smile seemed deranged. With a flick of the wrist, Fullbright threw Apollo back to the floor.  
Fullbright took a few steps back, placing his hands on the small table and crossing his legs out in front of him. "You know what?" He said, cocking his head thoughtfully, "I never took you to be a secretive guy when I first met you. Guess I was wrong."  
Apollo's heart pounded in his chest. From his view on the floor Fullbright's face was obscured by dark shadows. Panic flitted across his mind; the detective now knew the secret behind his eye. The secret that it was absolutely fine.  
"You're wrong though."  
Apollo looked up at Fullbright in surprise. His face was serious. "About Athena I mean. She didn't do it. "  
What? Apollo's mind exploded with a million questions. How did he know? If Athena wasn't involved, why had she reacted when she saw the murder weapon? He felt bombarded by emotion. While he was suspicious of the detectives claim, there was a part of him that felt enormous relief that he had been wrong, as well as guilt for suspecting one of his closest friends.  
"If you honestly thought it was her, I'm a bit disappointed. Purposefully blinding yourself to the guilt of your best friend's murderer isn't exactly honorable."  
Apollo flinched. Those words hit him like a truck. It was true. Ignoring Athena's odd behavior had been dishonest, and was putting his friendship ahead of the truth. Ahead of justice for clay.  
An image of clay flashed across his mind. It was of the last time they'd been together before clay has been killed. He'd been so happy, so alive. They had spent the entire day in the space museum, catching up and teasing each other. Clay made fun of Apollo's "devil horns", Apollo cracked a joke about the visor clay never took off. It had been so normal...  
The crime scene photo barreled in, blowing away the happy memories with the picture of clay dead and bleeding. Apollo could feel the knife as if it was stuck in his own heart.  
Pain jerked him away from his thoughts.  
Detective Fullbright had planted a shoe square in Apollo's stomach when he hadn't reacted for some time. It wasn't a particularly hard kick, but Apollo was sore and weak enough that it still knocked the wind out of him.  
"Pay attention when I'm talking to you." Fullbright growled, jabbing Apollo a few more times with his toe.  
"You lawyer types always ask so many questions, and I figure you've got a few. So... I'll go ahead and explain it to you. "  
Apollo stared in surprise. What did he mean? Did he know who was behind Clay's death? Was he going to tell him why he was being held captive?  
"You've probably already guessed that I'm not here to help you."  
That much was pretty obvious, thought Apollo.  
"But, you're probably wondering why you're here." Fullbright reached into his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. He flipped it open and held it out to Apollo. "You're leverage."  
On the screen were the words

"IF YOU WANT TO SEE APOLLO JUSTICE ALIVE YOU WILL DROP THE STARBUCK CASE".

Rage flared in Apollo's chest. He had an overwhelming desire to punch Fullbright in the face.  
Apollo had set out on a journey to uncover the truth, and avenge his friend's death by bringing his killer to justice. Instead, he might end up being the reason the killer got away free.  
In a fit of anger, Apollo twisted his arms in their bindings and bit at the gag in his mouth. He felt a stinging pain grow in his wrists, felt the skin growing wet with blood, but he didn't care. He was blinded by a rage that only the desperate are capable of.  
Fullbright threw back his head and laughed gleefully, the sound echoing in the enclosed space. It came back to Apollo sounding altered and warped, more animal than human.  
The laughter only goaded him further. By working his jaw up and down and rubbing his head against his shoulder, Apollo managed to shift the gag enough to get a few words out.  
"Why?!" He yelled, " Why would you do this?!"  
Fullbright stopped laughing and looked at him. He didn't seem surprised that Apollo had spoken, but his mouth had an amused curve to it. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a lighter, tossing it into the air.  
"Why do you think?" He said with a grin. As the lighter turned in the air, Apollo could see a small blue image of a planet emblazoned on its side.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Date-December 12, 1:30 AM

Location- Mullberry Street

"Are you sure it was ok to just leave?" Trucy said nervously as they approached the house with the telescope.

"Oh yeah, it's fine. I shot him a text on the way so he knows where we are. Besides, I'm sure he'll appreciate us following a lead." To be honest, she'd forgotten about telling Phoenix what they were doing until they were already across the street. She'd just texted Phoenix not even a minute ago.

Trucy gave her a suspicious glance. "I saw you, you know." She grinned.

"Hush, I'm going to ring the doorbell." Athena reached out and pressed the button with her knuckle. They both took a step back in anticipation. Athena counted to 15 before she heard footsteps approaching from the other side of the door.

The woman who opened the door was just slightly taller than Athena, with chestnut hair clipped up on the side of her head. She had sweet looking eyes behind gold rimmed glasses and smiled at them when she saw them.

"May I help you ladies?" She asked, cocking her head slightly.

Trucy beat Athena to the answer. "Yes Ma'am. We're looking for someone, and we wondered if you'd help us?" She smiled cutely at the woman.

"We noticed a telescope in your window." Athena cut in, trying not to sound accusatory. "Is that yours?"

"Oh no, it's not mine. That belongs to my son." The woman wiped her hands on her apron in thought.

"Is he home? Can we speak with him?" Trucy leaned forwards on her toes and clenched her fists by her side. The woman looked slightly startled.

 _Slow down there kiddo,_ Athena thought. She put a hand on Trucy's shoulder and smiled at the woman calmly. "Ma'am, we don't mean to frighten you. It's just our friend is missing and we think your son might be able to help us find him." Athena held up her attorney's badge.

"Oh dear!" The woman raised her hand to her chest in shock. "Of course, of course. Please come in!"

She led them through a quaint, doily laden front room and stopped at the base of a staircase. "He's upstairs. Please, go ahead." She gestured up the staircase with a kind smile.

Athena and Trucy thanked the woman, and headed up the stairs. 


	8. Chapter 8

Date-December 12, 1:30 AM

Location- Mullberry Street

Apollo burned. The lighter sat on the table, the small earth emblem turned towards him. He stared at it, tears of rage spilling down his cheeks and staining the lumpy mattress below.

It had been him. It had been Fullbright all along. He was the one Aura Blackquill saw in the dark room. He was the one who had escaped into the space museum when the switch had been flipped.

He was the one who killed clay.

Everything began falling into place. Fullbright had been at the center before the bombs went off not because of a tip, but because he'd been the one to set them. He'd been able to use his role as leader of the evacuation as an alibi, while the chaos made it difficult to confirm.

The how made sense. What didn't make sense was why. Clay made it a point to not make enemies. Like Apollo, he hated confrontation, and wanted to make people happy. Why would Fullbright want him dead?

"God dammit he didn't deserve this!" Apollo roared. The words were muffled by the cloth, but he didn't care. It was the feeling of release that came with shouting that he needed. The same feeling he got when doing his chords of steel exercise.

His eyes burned with salty tears, and the ceiling above appeared warped as if he was viewing it through a fish tank.

"He didn't... Deserve...nnng!"

Apollo lost himself then. He felt anger, sadness, fear, guilt, confusion, all at the same time. He'd been hiding his emotions for so long. Refusing to cry. Putting on a brave face so people wouldn't worry. Holding it in.

He boiled over.

Arching his chin to the ceiling, Apollo yelled from the depths of his stomach. He screamed out his anger that the person who'd been there for him his whole life was gone. He declared his hatred of the person who'd fooled them all. He shouted out the guilt he carried for suspecting Athena and pushing away Trucy and Phoenix. He berated that unbroken concrete until his voice broke, then let himself slide into tired sobs.

Hot tears rolled off his chin and slid down his neck. The collar of his shirt was warm and damp now, as was the mattress. The last of his screams echoed back to him, and then it was silent.

He lay still, staring upwards at the flat grey ceiling. It was cruel, that ceiling. Hour after hour it watched him suffer, threw his words back in his face and stared at him uncaring.

Apollo couldn't help but wonder if there was some higher power, watching over people with the same un-interest as that concrete ceiling.

"Then they're cruel too." He murmured.

All his Worldly feelings crept slowly back to him. He was so cold, so hungry, so tired. How many days had it been? There were no windows in the small room, no natural light source, no clock. He had no way to know how many days had gone by.

His hair was falling in his eyes, but he was too exhausted to blow it away. The gel he used to get his signature hairstyle had worn off a while ago, so instead of his usual slicked back look, he now had a scruffy appearance. He looked over at the lighter again.

Guilt stabbed at his chest. "I'm sorry clay." He thought, "I let my anger get to me, and I lost sight of the truth. I never meant..." Tears rose in his eyes once again. "I just..." He choked out. His eyes were closing. His body was going into survival mode, sleeping to save energy.

Exhausted, Apollo slipped into a deep sleep, the words "I'm sorry", repeating on his lips.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Date-December 12, 1:40 AM

Location- Mullberry street

Athena knocked gently, then entered upon a call from within.

A boy was sitting on a rotating desk chair in the corner of the room. A shock of wavy white blond hair sat atop his head, long bangs sweeping low across his forehead. It looked like there was a cloud hanging around his head. He turned towards them as they entered. "Oh." His eyebrows rose slightly, and a pair of ice blue eyes glimmered. "Sorry, I thought you were my mom."

He was cute, she had to admit. Athena snuck a sidelong glance at Trucy. She looked positively dumbstruck.

Holding in giggles, Athena addressed the boy. "Sorry to intrude. My name is Athena Cykes. Would you mind if we asked you some questions?" She grinned at him and pointed out the badge on her lapel.

The boy rolled his chair towards them without standing. He was sitting backwards, with his arms resting crossed on top of the backrest. "I'm Sky. Is something happening?" His eyebrows rose even higher, nearly disappearing under his bangs.

"Well, yes but it's nothing you're in trouble for. We're just looking for someone, and we think you might have seen him. "

Sky seemed to relax. "Ok, sure. What do you want to know?" He cocked his head just like his mom had.

Athena pointed at the telescope by the window, and sky turned to follow her gesture. "How often do you use that?"

"All the time! It's a state of the art Kepler 28b, bought it two years ago." He winked," it's my pride and joy."

Athena saw Trucy blush in her peripheral.

"So stargazing is a hobby of yours?"

"You could say that. I'm studying astronomy at Tokyo University, but we're on break right now." He gestured to his desk, which was overflowing with charts, graphs, and star maps. Now that Athena thought about it, the whole room was dripping in space related memorabilia. There were replica telescopes on a shelf by the door, and entire right wall was plastered with weather patterns and moon phase diagrams. With a pang, she noticed a newspaper clipping featuring the crew of the Hat-1 mission, Clay smiling next to Starbuck.

"I'm tracking the movement of Venus right now. Its elliptical orbit is supposed to bring it very near a white giant and I'd love to see its gravitational effects." Sky's face was positively glowing; it was very clear how passionate he was about the stars. He cocked his head again and grinned.

It caught Athena off guard how much he looked like Apollo for a moment, squaring his shoulders and grinning with his eyes closed. She bit her lip unconsciously, trying not to worry.

"Umm, are you ok?"

Athena lurched back to reality, realizing sky had still been speaking to her.

"Yeah... Sorry, I got distracted." She waved her hands in apologies.

"How do you track a planet?" Piped Trucy. Sky looked mildly surprised when she spoke. This was the first thing she'd said yet, and it seemed like he hadn't expected her to say anything. "You can't watch it all the time right? You have to sleep sometime." She twiddled a curl of her hair and blushed.

Sky smiled deviously. He had the expression of a car salesman when they manage to hook someone in on a deal.

"That's a great question." He said, rising from his chair and putting a hand on the telescope. Pointing to a rounded joint with wires looped into it he said, "This right here is a servo. I can plug in the starting coordinates of something I want it to follow, and the onboard computer will do it for me. I added a camera to it so I can go to class and sleep while it records on its own."

Athena and Trucy both had the same thought at the same time.

"Did you say camera!?" They both lunged forwards. Sky tripped backwards, his hands coming defensively up in front of him.

"Is this camera running all the time?"

"Uhh yeah, just about. Why?"

"Can we see it?"

"It'll take a couple minutes to transfer to my laptop, but sure, I can show you."

Sky cleared his desk with a sweep of the arm, unearthing a small laptop. He pulled a thin cable across and plugged it into the side of the telescope. Blowing air out of his mouth, he plopped back onto the rolling chair, backwards again.

There was an awkward silence. Athena tried to keep her leg from twitching. Trucy stared at the laptop with pursed lips, as if she were trying to intimidate it into going faster. They both laid all their hope in that laptop, unknown though its contents were.

Athena knew the footage wouldn't show the kidnapper prancing in the street and shouting his or her name, but still she could hope. It was silly, but it was all she had.

Sky's voice broke the silence. "Soooo... Am I allowed to ask what happened?"

Athena opened her mouth, then shut it. Should she tell him? Spreading the news that Apollo had been kidnapped could risk angering his captor, but as Athena looked at sky, she felt he deserved to know. Her stomach twisted with uncertainty.

"Our friend's been kidnapped. From the hospital across the street. We're hoping that your telescope caught it on camera." Trucy's voice was flat and unwavering. When Athena looked at her in surprise, she saw a hard glint in her eyes that hadn't been there before.

Sky blinked. "Oh wow. I'm so sorry."

"Were you here yesterday? Did you see or hear anything odd?" Athena asked.

"I had a lot of data to go through yesterday, so I didn't really look through the telescope." Athena's face fell. "But I had the camera running, and Venus is low over the horizon right now, so I probably captured footage of the street." he added hastily.

The laptop beeped suddenly, and sky brought up a viewing window. Athena and Trucy stepped closer to watch, both aching with anticipation. Sky looked at them for the ok, and when they nodded he clicked play.

It was time lapse, beginning from 7:30 in the morning and speeding through the day. Athena watched intently. Apollo had been in his bed at 8:00 according to the nurse's log. Anything that happened after that time was suspicious at the very least.

"What's that?" Trucy pointed at the screen, where a van had just pulled up in front of the clinic. It lurched, then reversed into the alley between the clinic and Eldoons noodles.

"I don't know... But this is only 7:30. Apollo wasn't gone until after 8:00." Athena answered. Just to be safe, she grabbed a pen off the desk and scrawled the license plate number across the back of her hand.

"I remember that van." Said sky suddenly.

"What?" Athena blurted.

"Yeah, it looked like a laundry service. They usually come pick up linens from the clinic once a week for cleaning. I see them a lot."

"Oh, so it's not suspicious." Athena fought to keep her shoulders from slumping.

"Something's different though. Yesterday was Thursday, they usually come on Sunday's." The footage continued, and the van pulled out to drive away. As the vehicle turned, sky suddenly reached out and slammed the space bar. The video paused and Trucy squeaked in surprise.

Sky stared at the screen. Athena watched him closely, reading his body language best as she could.

"It's different." he said slowly. "That's not the company that usually comes." Sky turned and looked directly at Athena. "I'm sure that's a different van. I don't know if they switched companies or something, but that might be your guy. "

Athena stood up and scratched her head. Her mind was boggled. This footage didn't make sense with the nurse chart at all. "You're sure the time stamp is correct?" She said.

"Absolutely."

"Athena, we should talk to the nurses again. Maybe they wrote the time wrong." Trucy straightened as well, crossing her arms.

Athena nodded silently, lost in thought. That van was most likely the kidnapper, but the video didn't show their face. If the nurse chart was wrong, that opened up a whole new can of worms. A nurse had very clearly entered the room at 8:00, what were they doing if Apollo hadn't been there? And if the nurse chart was wrong, how did the kidnapper get Apollo out without anyone noticing?

Sky gave them a copy of the footage, as well as his phone number in case they had more questions. Downstairs his mother handed them a paper bag of cookies and insisted they take it.

"I'm sure you'll find your missing person ladies. You seem like capable young women. "

Smiling gratefully, they thanked her for her cooperation, and left for the wright law agency.


	10. Chapter 10

Date-December 12, 2:01 AM

Location- ?

Apollo awoke to the feeling of hard cement beneath him. His arms were pinned between his body and the floor, forcing him to arch his back unnaturally. He blinked slowly.

Apollo was unsure if he had slept for one hour or eight. Either way, his eyes felt dry and irritated, and his muscles all ached for a good stretch.

There was a clatter in his peripheral, and he rolled to his side to see what it was. It was Fullbright, kicking a soda can against the wall with his hands in his pockets. He looked back over his shoulder. Immediately, hatred flared up in Apollo. He glared at him viciously, wishing nothing more than to be able to punch the detective in the face.

Abandoning his can, Fullbright crossed the room to stand over Apollo, digging in his pocket as he came. At length he pulled out a flip phone and began dialing.

Apollo watched him closely. Usually, he could read a person's body language to tell what they were thinking. Read their face to read their mind. But from full bright he got nothing. The detective had never been someone he paid much attention to, and reading him now was like looking at a brick wall. It infuriated him.

Fullbright knelt down by Apollo's side and held the phone close to Apollo's face. He hooked a finger under the gag and pulled it out of Apollo's mouth with some effort.

Apollo didn't say anything, but narrowed his eyes at the man. What was he planning? Apollo wanted so badly to insult him, but he didn't want to give him the satisfaction in case that was part of his plan.

Fullbright shook the phone at him impatiently. Apollo faintly heard the sound of the wright law agency answering machine message. It was Trucy's voice, bright and jubilant.

Apollo couldn't catch his gasp before it escaped. His heart ached at the sound of her voice, but it scared him at the same time. What did this mean? Had they agreed to Fullbrights terms? Had Clay's case been dropped? There were so many possibilities, thinking about them all made him feel sick.

"Say hello to your friends would you?" Fullbright waggled the phone again.  
Apollo's heart jumped in his chest. He wanted so badly to speak with his friends, wanted so badly to see them. A twitching suspicion crept in, but it was drowned out by the thought of hearing Athena's and Trucy's voices.  
Apollo spoke slowly and cautiously. His voice sounded odd and raspy, but he was worried that if he stopped to clear his throat Fullbright would take his silence as a signal to end the call. Choking out in a single breath he said, "H-hello? Athena, Trucy, Mr. Wright... I'm fine-"

Before he could finish, Fullbright suddenly slammed his knee down onto Apollo's chest. Air whooshed out of him, clawing its way free in the form of a guttural scream. He felt a dull crunch in his chest, and knew it was the sound of his bruised ribs shattering. The pressure grew, the detective's knee constricting Apollo's lungs, preventing them from filling. He felt his right shoulder pop out of joint as his arms were compressed awkwardly beneath him. He screamed without knowing he was screaming, it felt as though there were shards of glass within his chest, stabbing and slicing at his lungs from the inside. The tiny room echoed cacophonously with his voice, the uncaring concrete above throwing his pain back at him once again.

Desperate to escape the building pain, Apollo struggled furiously under the detective's knee. He was like a bug under a shoe, hopelessly trapped but still flailing its tiny legs as if it would make any difference. _How pitiful,_ a disinterested voice echoed in his skull. He thrashed his legs, whipped his head back and forth, wriggled his shoulders back and forth, but nothing made a difference. Fullbright simply dug his knee in further the more he fought against it, leering closer to Apollo the louder he screamed. But there was no other thing Apollo could do, lay there and scream.

But even that he couldn't do for long. The enormous weight on his chest made it impossible for his lungs to fill even a little. Apollo's unbroken screaming had quickly exhausted his supply of oxygen in less than a minute. He felt his limbs growing heavy, and his voice quickly petered out into a series of gasps and coughs. Blood bubbled up in his throat, a trickle spilling over his lips.

Fullbright didn't seem to notice, as he was distracted by his own laughter.

As Apollo struggled for air, every gasp and cough contracted the muscles of his chest, smashing together the shattered bone fragments and his damaged lungs. Every spasm of his diaphragm was excruciating.

Apollo had a feeling he was drowning. His mouth was full of blood, warm and salty like the ocean. A blackness had begun to creep in from the edges of his vision, his body felt heavy and numb at the same time. Fullbright, and the phone still held in front of his face seemed infinitely far away. It was as if he was sinking down, down into the inky depths of some forgotten lake. Sinking away from the world that held all he knew, all he loved. _No…No...No! I don't want to die…not like this…not yet…_

Apollo felt his eyes glaze over, and his eyelids slide closed.

Then the pressure was gone. Apollo's eyes flew back open as he took an enormous gasp of air, his lungs filling almost automatically. Pain that was almost worse than before stabbed at him, and he choked on the blood that rushed up into his mouth and throat. He coughed wetly, and red splatter appeared on his chest and the concrete floor around him.

Apollo rolled onto his side and spat a crimson plume of blood onto the floor, splattering the detective's shoes. Taking small, cautious breaths to avoid irritating his damaged lungs, Apollo looked feebly up at detective Fullbright. He had risen to a standing position, closed the phone, and was now looking down at Apollo with a curious expression. It was a masked expression, the one worn by a person with something to hide.

Apollo's mouth twitched up into a slight smile. A crack had appeared in the brick wall.

Fullbright had let his guard down for but a second, but Apollo had seen what was behind it.

Fullbright was scared. He'd gone too far, and now he was worried he might have lost his bargaining chip.

The detective cursed and took a step backwards, as if trying to distance himself from what had happened. But the damage had been done. Judging from the blood in his mouth, and the pain in his chest, he'd most likely punctured a lung. Already, his breathing was short and labor intensive. He needed medical attention. Badly.

As a sudden pang in his chest set off another round of coughing, Apollo had a sobering realization. He wouldn't survive a week more of this. He could last three days at most.

Fullbright cursed again and shoved the phone back in his pocket. He was pissed, and for good reason. He'd just put a very short time limit on his entire plan.

Apollo permitted himself a quiet laugh. It hurt physically, but he couldn't help himself. Fullbrights angry but horrified expression was enormously gratifying.

Fullbright heard him. He turned a deep shade of red and shouted "Shut the hell up!"

Apollo shot him a blood covered smirk. "Whatever pisses you off, you bastard." He coughed.

With a furious roar, Fullbright kicked Apollo in the head, and the world disappeared.


	11. Chapter 11

Date-December 12, 3:40 PM

Location- Wright Law Agency

Phoenix let himself collapse onto the couch of the wright law agency. There was barely any open space, as it was covered with Trucy's Magic paraphernalia, but he was too exhausted to make it to his desk.

He sank into the cushion, letting his head fall back against a plastic plate of spaghetti. His temples throbbed, and he felt slightly ill. Through all his years of defending and investigating, he'd never been so scared of a case. Sure, he'd been plenty nervous before. He cared for all his clients on a personal level, they were good people and he wanted justice for them.

But Apollo was... Well Apollo was practically his son. He was the brother of Phoenix's adopted daughter Trucy, not that either of them knew. He'd been with the agency for years now, ever since the summer he'd spent investigating with Trucy, and convicting his own old mentor of murder. He'd proven himself time and time again since then, and phoenix had come to trust him entirely. Apollo was innocent, selfless, always there when anyone needed him. He'd never let on how tired he was, or how much he was hurting. It was that aspect of Apollo that Phoenix admired so much. But at the same time he hated it.

The thought of Apollo alone and suffering somewhere made him suddenly angry. Phoenix raised a clenched fist, then let it fall with a puff of breath. He needed to be objective, he couldn't let emotions cloud his judgement.

 _It's just so damn hard._ Phoenix thought as he massaged his temples. He was less worried than Athena not because he didn't care, but because he was driven by that anger. This entire thing was the last thing Apollo needed right after losing a friend who was so close.

Phoenix rolled his head on his shoulders, stretching his neck. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a blinking light on the answering machine. _Maybe that's the forensics people getting back to me,_ he thought. Slowly, he got up from the couch, arching his back to stretch. "owwww…Jeez, I'm getting old."

Moving towards the side table, he punched the button with his finger, then settled back onto his heels to listen.

At the same moment, Athena and Trucy burst in through the door.

"Daddy, daddy! We talked to a guy who had a-" she cut off as Phoenix held a finger to his lips and pointed at the answering machine.

"Sorry hun, just wait a minute." He whispered with a smile.

The machine whirred for a second, then clicked and let out a loud beep. A tinny voice announced that there was one new message, and Phoenix punched the button again before the voice could finish its sentence. It whirred and beeped again, and then there was a moment of silence before the message began.

The sound of Apollo's voice filled the room.

Athena gasped audibly, and Trucy clapped her hands over her mouth. Phoenix couldn't move. Every muscle in his body had locked. He couldn't breathe.

Apollo's voice was hoarse and broken as he spoke "H-hello?" He choked out. His words echoed strangely, and he sounded breathless, as if he'd just been running. Hope flared in Phoenix's chest for a split second. "Had he escaped? Was he calling to tell them he'd been let go?"

Apollo continued almost frantically, "Athena, Trucy, ... I'm fine-" His voice cut off abruptly, replaced by a sound more horrible than anything Phoenix had ever heard before.

Guttural, desperate screams filled the tiny office, the speaker on the answering machine crackling with strain. They didn't sound human, the way the pitch fluctuated so drastically. Phoenix stood frozen, unable to take his eyes off of the answering machine, his heart thudding in his chest. He forgot there was anyone else in the room, it felt like he was alone with the screaming. For a split second, he thought he was screaming too.

There was another sound mixed in with the screaming, something choppier and less high pitched. The screaming wavered, then Apollo choked and broke into a fit of wet, rasping coughs and gasps punctuated by the distinct sound of blood splattering on a hard surface. The hidden sound suddenly became clear, and Phoenix felt his stomach twist in disgust.

It was laughter. Whoever had taken Apollo wanted them to know that he or she had full control, and that they could do whatever they wanted to Apollo. Clearly, they were enjoying that privilege.

The gasping and coughing faded out to silence, but the laughter continued, growing louder and more brazen. Then suddenly there was a scuffing sound, then the machine clicked to indicate that the message had ended.

The room was dead silent. Phoenix's senses came back to him slowly, leeching back into him. Athena had stumbled backwards against the wall where she was still standing, horrified tears rolling down her cheeks. Trucy was standing next to her, staring at the floor with blank eyes. Phoenix opened his mouth to say something, but no words came.

It felt like an eternity before anyone spoke. "Boss…" Athena's voice was quiet and unsteady. She turned her head slowly towards Phoenix, eyes wide, and face pale. "We need to drop Clay's case." She whispered.

"What?!" Phoenix stared at her in shock, "No way, we can't-"

"Apollo is dying!" Athena screamed. "He can't wait for us to screw around, we have to drop the case!" She whipped her face upwards, staring directly into Phoenix's eyes. Tears streamed down her face, and her eyes were angry, accusing.

Phoenix felt an anger rising in his own chest, and before he knew it he was shouting back. "Athena, what's wrong with you?! How can you give up like this?"

"Give up?! Mr. Wright I'm not giving up, I'm being reasonable! How long will it take for us to figure out what happened? You heard Apollo, he's hurt, he can't last that long!"

"Dropping the murder case of his closest friend is not what Apollo needs, Athena!"

"They're torturing him!"

"You think I don't know that? Dropping the case won't solve any of our problems!"

"IF APOLLO DIES IT'S YOUR FAULT!"

Phoenix staggered back a few steps. His mouth hung open dumbly; he felt as though he'd been slapped. It was as if Athena was echoing his own thoughts back to him. The haze of guilt that had been hanging about him suddenly crashed down on his shoulders like a bundle of bricks.

He looked up, slowly. Athena glared at him with fiery eyes and clenched teeth. There was true fury there, she'd meant what she'd said. Her expression changed for a second, softened, then she let out a choked sob and fled the room.

Someone tugged at Phoenix's sleeve. He swiveled his head slowly, lethargically. It was Trucy. She pushed her forehead against his arm, squeezing the fabric of his sleeve between her fingers.

"It's not your fault daddy." She whispered. Phoenix was struck by how small she sounded. She was sixteen, a young woman at that point but at that moment, huddled against him, Phoenix saw a child.

"It's not your fault." She repeated, her voice muffled by his coat sleeve. "Apollo wouldn't want you to drop Clay's case. He wouldn't want you to give up on Clay. Or on him." Trucy raised her head and looked directly into Phoenix's eyes. Suddenly the child was gone, replaced by a strength that seemed to exceed her age.

"We just have to work extra hard to find him faster right?" She smiled, "So don't cry ok?"

Phoenix blinked. He hadn't realized he'd been crying at all, but as he wiped his eyes, his hand came away wet. _No wonder Athena looked at me strangely_ , he thought. Smiling back at her, he reached out a hand and rubbed Trucy's cheek.

"Thanks kiddo. Sorry to get all weepy on you." She smiled up at him again, and brushed his hand away, giving it a squeeze before letting it go. Somehow, she always seemed to be just what he needed. His own personal ray of sunshine.

Trucy moved towards the doorway. "I'm going to go try to talk Athena down. I'll be back, kay?"

"Trucy?"

"Hmmm?" She stopped midstride.

Phoenix watched her closely, with not a little worry on his mind. "Are you ok?"

Trucy blinked slowly, then gave him a pained smile. "Apollo doesn't like it when I cry, so I'm trying not to." She said quietly. "This doesn't change that." With that, she left.

Phoenix stood alone in the office. He caught his eye drifting towards the answering machine, and quickly looked away. His stomach churned, and Apollo's screams echoed in his head over and over again, like a broken record. "What do I do…?" He whispered to himself. "What would you want me to do Apollo?"

Phoenix felt angry, confused. Conflicting thoughts and images swirled in his mind, pressing on his temples, threatening to burst his head from the inside. He raised a hand and massaged his forehead, rubbing his fingers in small circles. He was overflowing and he knew it, spiraling wildly out of control. _Pull yourself together man,_ he chastised himself, but he wasn't in control anymore. He felt his knees shake, and suddenly collapsed backwards against an end table. His hands came up to his face, tears streaming down between his fingers. His breath's came in choked sobs, his shoulders shook uncontrollably.

 _If Apollo dies it's your fault!_

"I'm sorry. Oh god, I'm so sorry Apollo…" Phoenix whispered.

He didn't know how long he stood there, leaning against the small table and crying. Finally, his breathing returned to normal, his tears stopped. Without thinking, without feeling, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed. He raised the phone to his ear with a shaking hand, and cleared his throat roughly while the dial tone sounded.

"AHEM! Uh, yeah Edgeworth. This is Nick… I, uh…I need to talk to you about something."


	12. Chapter 12

Date-December 12, 10:00 AM

Location- ?

Apollo lay on his side with his knees curled up to his chest. He was back on the ratty mattress, that much he knew, and the cloth gag was back in his mouth. It was stale with blood he'd coughed up, as was the front of his t-shirt. He breathed shallowly, to escape the pain, and because the ropes around his chest were too tight to allow anything more.

He stared through the hair that had fallen across his face at the wall, allowing his tired mind to see patterns in the mottled concrete surface. Slowly, he felt his eyes glaze over, felt himself slip away into unconsciousness. Each time he closed his eyes, he didn't know if he slept for a minute or an hour. Time passed, regardless of what was happening to him. He was one person. One life in a million.

 _I don't matter…_ he thought. _No one is coming for me._ It was almost a relief, knowing that no one else would get hurt trying to save him. The last thing he wanted was to lose Athena, or Trucy the same way he'd lost Clay. As he stared at the dull grey concrete, he began to see their faces in the patterns, swirling and drifting before his delirious eyes. Athena grinned and slapped a fist against her palm, Trucy waved her top hat after performing a trick, Clay laughed and tugged at the brim of his visor, Phoenix dug his hands in his pockets and flashed a calm smile. Apollo smiled back at them all, wishing he could wave, but for some reason he couldn't move his arms. A wave of nausea swept over him, and a sudden sickening weight pressed down on his body. His eyes rolled away from his friends as darkness took him.

When he woke again, the delirium had passed. Apollo looked again at the concrete wall, blinking. He no longer saw his friends, or patterns, or anything. _I'm going crazy,_ Apollo thought to himself.

Time moved slowly for Apollo. Fullbright came and went, stopping to tease or pester him before leaving again. The detective would often prod him awake, or pour the remnants of a water bottle over his head, only to laugh in his face and depart right when Apollo woke up. Apollo assumed it was his way of checking that he was still alive, and his odd behavior afterwards was Fullbright trying to disguise his worry. If he didn't move after a few pokes, he'd earn himself a slap or a punch, and if he still didn't move, cold water would come raining down.

Apollo didn't pay him much attention. He lay still, not moving. Barely blinking. He focused inwards, counting his breaths, forcing his nervous muscles to relax. If he breathed too quickly, pain spasmed across his chest.

Apollo tensed against a small cluster of coughs. The acrid tang of blood lingered on his tongue, his throat was dry and sore. He ached to take a deep, full breath, to stretch his tired limbs. His right shoulder was now swollen and painful. He couldn't twist his neck enough to see it, but he was sure it was all kinds of horrible colors. His lip was stiff with dried blood, and his mouth tasted like it was full of pennies. He blinked slowly, deliberately. His eyes were dry and itchy, no matter how long he slept. As he breathed in and out, the air that passed through his throat scraped painfully

The door clanged open suddenly, and Apollo instinctively froze.

Fullbright came back every now and then to check on Apollo, and make sure he was still alive. He jabbed him in the ribs, slapped him, poured water on his head, did just enough until he got a reaction that satisfied him. He never stayed long, that or Apollo never managed to stay conscious for an entire visit.

Apollo listened closely as the door slammed shut, and footsteps advanced to stop just behind him. He kept his eyes closed, and focused on keeping his breathing slow and relaxed. _What am I doing?_ He thought mildly. _This won't change anything._ It wouldn't make any difference if Fullbright thought he was awake or asleep, but then again… _Maybe I can freak him out a little,_ he thought with an internal giggle.

"Oi, kid you awake?" The detective jabbed a finger in Apollos cheek. Apollo forced himself to stay limp, not to flinch. He kept his breathing slow and regulated, doing his best to seem like he was sleeping. "Hey!" Fullbright slapped him across the cheek, waited for a moment, and then slapped him again. Apollo let his head roll with the impact. He felt a trickle of blood run down his chin. Fullbright cursed and stepped back. Fingers pressed against his neck, just under his jaw. Apollo counted to ten before they pulled away.

He heard Fullbright curse again. Another slap caught him off guard, and he almost gasped. Footsteps moved away, and there was a click that Apollo recognized as a cell phone opening.

 _What's he doing? Is he calling someone?_

"Hey, this is Fullbright…Yeah, do you have the report from the Justice kid's hospital room? Mmm Hmm… yeah, I need you to hand everything over. Yup, everything…. its ok, I'll take care of it. "

Apollo's stomach lurched into his throat. _He's covering this up!_

"No problem. Hmm? Yeah I'll grab it while I'm down here. Which case is it? …Got it, ok I'll bring it back upstairs with me. Ok, see you in five."

 _Down here? What is he talking about-_ Apollo froze. Suddenly it clicked. The codes on the doors, the concrete walls, the industrial lighting. He knew exactly where he was.

 _Oh my god. I'm in the evidence lockup under the police station._

The phone snapped shut, and footsteps clicked away again. The heavy door opened again, then slammed shut, echoing through the small space. Apollo lay still, frozen in shock, staring at the wall.

Fullbright was ballsy, that much was true. By keeping Apollo in the police station basement he could visit him often without drawing suspicion, but it also meant he might be discovered more easily. Apollo felt himself twitch with frustration. Help was so close, but so far. The police were literally just upstairs, but there was still no way for him to get to them.

 _I can't even tell anyone where I am!_ He thought angrily. He almost wished he didn't know where he was, what was the point if he couldn't do anything about it?

 _Wait… maybe I can do something!_ Apollo's sluggish mind whirred into motion, clouds of delirium finally clearing away.

 _That's it,_ he thought with more clarity than he'd had in a long time, _I'm not waiting around to be a victim anymore. I'm getting myself out of here, today._


	13. Chapter 13

Date-December 12, 4:10 PM

Location- Wright Law Agency

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks Miles, I needed the talk. Yeah, bye." Phoenix put the phone back on the receiver, leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples. He and Miles had been friends since childhood, and Phoenix had once said that even though he and Miles were often on different sides of the courtroom, they were on the same side of the law.

Edgeworth hadn't actually done much talking during the call, Phoenix had pretty much just ranted at him for a solid three minutes. He just needed to get his thoughts out, just needed someone to listen. His head was so full of information, just writing notes wasn't enough to sort it out.

Phoenix sucked in a huge breath, held it for a moment, then blew it back out. He felt immensely better already, his head was much clearer.

 _Ugh…I'm not looking forward to speaking with Athena,_ he thought. Phoenix rose from his chair, and steeled himself before leaving the office.

He was a little surprised to find Athena sitting on the couch in the main room. She sat with her knees pulled tight to her chest and was twiddling with the end of her ponytail. Phoenix opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't think of how to begin. An awkward silence lingered in the air, heavy on the back of his neck. He sucked in a breath, but Athena spoke before he opened his mouth again.

"I'm sorry… ." Her voice was tremulous, as if she was fighting hard to keep it from cracking. Athena didn't look at him, but kept her eyes locked on the floor in front of her. "I shouldn't have said those things earlier," she mumbled. "I was just…I didn't…" She trailed off, and Phoenix could see her shoulders spasm. As a small arm curved up around Athena's neck, Phoenix realized with a start that Trucy was sitting next to her on the couch. He heard Trucy whisper something unintelligible, then Athena shook her head vigorously.

Phoenix moved closer to the couch until he could clearly see both girls over the backing of the furniture. Trucy's arm drifted down to Athena's shoulder and began rubbing in small slow circles while Athena hiccupped softly. He reached out, placing his own hand on Athena's other shoulder. She twitched at the unexpected contact.

"Athena, don't be mad at yourself." Phoenix said quietly. "I'm scared too, I really am. But I'm confident that we can find Apollo before it's too late."

Athena turned to look at him. Phoenix noticed her eyes were red and puffy. Athena saw him looking and rubbed them furiously. Phoenix moved around the edge of the couch, gingerly avoiding the cluttered end table. He cleared away a few knick nacks before taking a seat next to the girls on the couch.

"Athena." He said again, more forcefully this time. "I know you're mad at me, but Apollo needs all of us right now."

"He's right Athena." Trucy whispered, patting her back.

"But how are we going to find him? We don't have any leads, or anything…" Athena's hands clenched into fists. "He'll die…" She whispered, seemingly to herself.

Suddenly, Phoenix reached out and grabbed Athena's hand's in his own, startling even himself a little. She jumped, staring at him with wide eyes. "What are you-"

"Athena! I swear to you we'll rescue Apollo. I'm not the kind of boss who lets his employee's get hurt, or cry. "

Athena stared at Phoenix with a dumbstruck expression. Fat tears rolled down her cheeks. "How?" She whispered.

Phoenix gave her hands a squeeze and smiled at her. "I've got a lead."

"What?! Are you serious?" Athena seemed to have momentarily forgotten the argument they'd had.

"Of course I'm serious. I double checked after you gave me the footage from the surveillance camera." Phoenix waved a stack of scrawled notes he'd taken. "I didn't see any male nurses around when we visited, so I went back and looked closer. The nurse that goes into Apollo's room at 7:54 is definitely male, but Mr. Hickfield doesn't have any male nurses on payroll."

"That's fantastic!" Trucy blurted, stepping forward excitedly. "That means that person must be the kidnapper!"

"Or they're working with them." Phoenix pointed the papers at her.

"Wait, wait, wait." Athena leaned forward on the couch, wiping her eyes. "We talked to someone who saw a weird van outside the clinic at 7:30. If that nurse log is wrong, then that's got to be the getaway vehicle." Athena dug her hand in her pocket, then tossed a flash drive to Phoenix. "If we can get a license plate number, we might get somewhere."

"I'll check out the van. You go through the security footage again. Follow that nurse, find out where he came from and what he did. Get a face shot if you can."

"Wait, why aren't we saying anything to the police?" Trucy stepped between them, her palms out in a placating motion. "Wouldn't they help us?"

Phoenix leaned towards Athena, placing the stack of papers in her hands. He looked her directly in the eyes, and for a moment was silent.

When he spoke, his voice was quiet and deliberate.

"The police are too slow. We're finding Apollo today."


	14. Chapter 14

Date-December 12, 12:00 PM

Location- ?

It was a terrible plan and he knew it, but it was the best he could do.

Apollo braced his back against the wall beside the door, once again feeling the cold concrete against his shoulder blades. He planted his feet strategically, one out in front, and one behind to push off with, gripping the floor with his toes. Where he stood was a blind spot to anyone at the door, but even so his heart was racing. It felt as though there was a rock in his throat, making it painful to breathe.

"As soon as he opens the door, I'm gone." He thought, trying to keep his breathing steady and calm. His nose was so dry it burned when he breathed, but his mouth was still clogged with the twisted cloth. He had no sense of time anymore, but it still seemed as if it had taken hours for him to stagger from the bed to the wall. He'd been laying down for so long, it was dizzying to be standing again. Apollo squeezed his eyes shut, steeling himself against a wash of nausea.

 _This is it…_ He thought grimly. _I'm either going to be free of this place, or I'm going to die. There's no way Fullbright will let me live if he catches me._ He rolled his head to the side, wincing as the action tugged the muscle of his swollen shoulder. His feet twitched on the cold floor. A tear slid down his cheek, and he found himself chuckling internally.

 _Is this what it feels like…Clay?_

Keys jangled on the other side of the thick metal barrier. Apollo felt his breath catch. His heart pounded against his ribs from the inside so loudly he thought for sure Fullbright could hear him. His bare toes gripped the floor as if he'd float away from it at any moment. His fists clenched and unclenched behind his back.

The lock clunked, the mechanism turning home, then there was a long pause. "He's looking for me." Apollo thought, flattening himself even further against the wall, trying desperately to hide from Fullbright's gaze. He heard a shoe squeak against the floor, muffled through the wall.

There was a loud clank, and a sliver of light from the hallway shot into the room as the door opened a few inches.

Apollo's heart stopped for a moment. Suddenly, he was acutely aware of everything around him. He could feel the cracks in the concrete slab beneath his feet, taste the coppery blood soaking the cloth in his mouth, smell the leftover beer in a can on the spindly table, hear his own heart beating, as well as Fullbright's. Time seemed to warp and stretch as the door opened what felt like impossibly slowly, the sliver of light creeping outwards.

Fullbright's shoe became visible around the heavy door, then his knee, then chest, then…

Apollo burst forwards, adrenaline exploding through his leg down to his toes in a bolt of lightning. He slammed a shoulder into Fullbright's chest, knocking him off balance, then dodged his flailing arms and shifted his weight to launch himself in the opposite direction, straight out the door.

The hallway was much brighter than the room he'd been confined to, appearing as a blast of white light. Apollo found himself running blindly down the corridor, eyes watering from the over exposure. A thousand emotions and thoughts splattered through his mind, but he wasn't in control of himself. His legs were. All he had to do was run, and they could do that all on their own. He was a passenger in his own body, a mere observer.

His bare feet slapped the ground, the harsh sound echoing in the small space. The pain in his chest was excruciating, every muscle in his body screaming with agony, but he couldn't let it slow him down. The hallway twisted away from him, the stairs a distant beacon, unreachable. He honed in on it, it was his rescue, his goal. Those stairs were life.

Suddenly, his legs were tangled. He stumbled, inertia propelling him forwards at a sweeping angle. With his arms pinned by the rope, he was unable to break his fall or steady himself. His feet pedaled in air as he fell in slow motion, his last hope of escape spiraling away, just out of reach.

Apollo landed hard on his chest, his head smacking the ground as he skidded to a rest on the cold floor. Bright lights exploded behind his eyes, his thoughts felt scrambled.

A thick hand grabbed a handful of Apollo's hair, jerking his head upright and back. A strangled cry escaped the gag as Apollo was dragged backwards towards the room. Away from the stairs, away from rescue. _No!_ Terror rose in his chest, burning brighter than the pain. Apollo thrashed frantically, lashing out with his legs, trying desperately to kick one of the doors in the hallway and alert someone from upstairs. Trying to make some sound, or to get someone's attention.

Back inside the room, the detective threw Apollo against the metal bed frame with a roar. The impact knocked the wind out of him, reverberating its way down his spine. He collapsed to the ground and curled inwards, trying frantically to catch his breath. The detective threw the door shut behind him, slamming it violently.

Apollo blinked sluggishly, trying to process the slurry of sounds and images splattered across his mind. Fullbright was yelling, but the words were indeterminable. They were smashed together, too loud to hear accurately. Apollos ears were ringing, his vision blurred. Pain pressed against his ribs from the inside. It was a hot, burning pain, filling his mind and pushing out any other thoughts.

The small table crashed to the floor, beer cans bouncing in every direction. Fullbright lunged forward, grabbing the front of Apollo's shirt and lifting him off the ground. His face filled Apollo's view, blocking everything else out. Before Apollo had time to react, Fullbright punched him square in the face. Apollo's head lurched from the impact. Bright lights exploded behind his eyes. The detectives arm pulled back. His clenched fist hovered in the air for a moment, like an elastic band about to snap, then hurtled back again.

Fullbright pummeled Apollo, punching him again and again. Blood poured from Apollo's nose, streaked from Fullbright's fingers. Each impact seemed to reset Apollo's brain. He couldn't finish a thought, his mind was lost, stumbling aimlessly.

Suddenly the Detective stumbled backwards, dropping Apollo hard on the concrete. His head whipped back, smacking against the iron frame of the bed. As he fell, he saw his leg descend and realized with a start that he'd kicked Fullbright in the groin. _I don't remember doing that…_ He thought blearily.

"You… Son of a…" Fullbright was doubled over, facing away from Apollo. His voice was shaky with rage, dripping with malice. He turned slowly, red faced, a vein bulging in his neck. Apollo felt himself go cold. He'd never seen a face so full of rage. Suddenly the fog in his brain cleared, he saw everything around him so clearly it hurt. The edges of Fullbright's face were sharp, they cut the space around them. The detective's voice morphed into a growl. His lip curled into a snarl, his teeth bared. He became an animal.

He squatted next to Apollos head, leaning so close his breath stirred the boy's hair.

"How dare you." Fullbright whispered. His voice was smooth, emotionless. Apollo couldn't tear his eyes away. He was frozen, awestruck. He felt a tear slide down his cheek. The feeling of helplessness was palpable. He felt like a mouse caught in a trap. Fullbright moved even closer, "You're going to regret screwing with me you little shit."

Apollo felt his throat go dry.

Fullbright stood back up , his face pulling away so fast it blurred. He stood still for a moment, his face distorted by the shadow thrown by the overhead lightbulb. Apollo felt nauseous with fear. He wanted to run, to do something, but he was crippled by the intense pain in his back and chest. He felt himself shaking, felt cold sweat running between his shoulder blades. His stomach lurched sickeningly. He felt insignificant, helpless.

 _I'm dead…_ he thought _, He's going to kill me for sure._

Fullbright moved in a blur. He jumped straight up in the air, pulling his legs into his chest before slamming them down as he landed, squarely on Apollo's left leg. There was an audible crunch. A second later, burning pain shot its way up to Apollo's hip. A guttural scream clawed up out of Apollo's throat, so loud not even the gag could contain it. The ragged sound crashed around in the small space, echoing back and forth between the concrete walls. A chill ran down his spine, his body shook uncontrollably.

"Go ahead and try to kick me now, kid." Fullbright sneered down at him. Apollo's entire body was in a panic, his muscles spasmed, his stomach twisted, his vision faded in and out. He had no control over himself. He couldn't even think. Apollo felt the ground pull away from him, as he was lifted by the front of his shirt. Fullbright shoved their faces together, the proximity warping his features. The blows came one after the other, in rapid succession. One after the other. Again, and again.

Apollo wasn't processing anymore. He felt no emotion. Where before there had been fear and anger, there was nothing. He was disconnected from himself, an onlooker watching someone else be beaten and battered. It was happening to someone else.

 _This isn't happening to me._

Apollo landed hard on his side as Fullbright threw him to the floor. Fullbright loomed above him, shifting his weight and brushing his hands together as if cleaning them off. He blinked, but he couldn't see. There was blood in his eyes. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't think. He was shutting down.

A porcelain sneer cracked the black shadow that loomed above. Strange crackling noises reached Apollos ears. It took him a moment to process the sound, but as clarity finally came to him, it was as though ice water was being poured on his head. The detective was laughing. Laughing at his victory, laughing at his own control, laughing at Apollo's helplessness. Laughing at Apollo's pain. Cackling, Fullbright skipped forward two steps and kicked Apollo in the stomach with the full force of his body weight.

Everything went black.


	15. Chapter 15

Date-December 12, 4:10 PM

Location- Wright Law Agency

Athena rubbed her eyes in frustration. "Aaarrgg! This is ridiculous!" She'd been watching and re-watching the footage, following the same nurse around the clinic, scouring for a moment when the mystery man showed his face. However, the nurse expertly avoided facing any cameras the entire time he was on screen. He'd duck behind carts, or walk closely behind another nurse, all while keeping his head down.

 _This guy has to be an expert,_ she thought. Athena drummed her finger on her note pad and scrunched up her face. That nurse was their last chance to find Apollo, he was a lifeline. But in nearly 9 hours of footage, there was not one moment where she could tell his identity.

"Knock knock!"

Athena turned to see Trucy hanging around the door frame. "Did you find anything?"

"No, I've got nothing!" Athena replied, stretching her arms up behind her head. "He ducks the camera everywhere he goes, and the times when he goes into Apollo's room don't match up with the time when the van is in the alley. I'm at a dead end." Trucy stepped into the room and put her elbows on the desk.

"Lemme see." She said, bumping her hip against Athena's chair. Athena waved her arms and rolled her chair out of the way so Trucy could get at the laptop. She squatted in place, raising her elbows onto the desk and fiddling with the footage. "Hey, what's this?"

Athena rolled sideways and leaned down to look where Trucy was pointing. "Here, I'll rewind it." She said.

The footage blurred for a second, then began playing. The male nurse was walking down the hallway facing away from the camera, a clipboard tucked under his arm. He stopped momentarily to speak with another nurse, then continued down the hall to stop in front of a cabinet. As he opened the cabinet door, Trucy hit the pause button.

"There." She said, pointing. "You can see his reflection in the glass door." Athena leaned in close. It was small and blurry, but there was definitely a reflection there.

"Wow, you're right. How did I miss that?" Athena groaned and clasped her hands above her head. She was a little irritated with herself for missing something so obvious.

"Don't be upset Athena, you just needed some fresh eyes!" Trucy clicked a picture of the screen and sent it to Phoenix through his email. "Hopefully they'll be able to figure out who this is." She turned on her heels to face Athena, "What's wrong? You don't seem very happy. This is a big breakthrough!" Trucy hopped backwards up onto the desk, splaying her hands for support. However, Athena went to stand at the same time, and they crashed together in midair.

"Ahhh!" Trucy landed sideways on the desk, her hand shooting out for support and landing on the laptops keypad. The video buzzed forwards, whirring through hours of footage.

"Trucy, watch it!" Athena yelled, pulling the laptop away and slamming the pause button. There didn't seem to be any damage done. Trucy had smacked the fast forward button, and had managed to scroll through 12 hours of footage to the next day. Athena had paused it again just as the camera caught them entering the clinic to visit Apollo.

Athena blew out a sigh of relief. "Jeez Trucy, be more careful! You could have-"She trailed off, her mind elsewhere. Looking down at the screen, the time code clearly read 9:30. At that point in the video, she, Trucy, and Phoenix had just entered the clinic.

"Trucy?" She said slowly.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!" Trucy pulled on the brim of her hat in dismay.

"No, no, that's not it. What time did we go visit Apollo?"

"Uhmmm… Let me think." She rolled her head on her shoulders and placed a finger on her chin in thought, the same way her father did sometimes. "I'm pretty sure it was around 8:00 or 8:30."

Athena twitched. Her mind was racing, reaching out in every possible direction at once. _This changes everything_.

While Athena scoured the hospital footage in the office, Phoenix watched the telescope video in the waiting room. He had to hand it to the kid, the video quality was outstanding. At just before 7:30, a white van very clearly pulled into the alley beside the clinic. Phoenix marked the time when the van arrived, and the time when it pulled out. It was only stationary for fifteen minutes before it backed out and screeched away.

Phoenix tapped his pen against the keyboard and placed his hand over his mouth in thought. _That's a small window of time to move someone, especially if they're fighting back._ He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, picturing the hospital corridor in his mind. _How did they get Apollo out of there? There's no way he would have gone willingly, but…_ He felt his eyebrow twitch. _What if he was unconscious?_

Phoenix pulled out his phone and flicked through the pictures. He lingered on a particular photo Trucy had taken before the police had swept the room. It was a close up of Apollo's IV bag hanging in his room. The plastic bag was half full of blue tinted liquid, and as he looked closer, Nick noticed a droplet of blue liquid hanging from the bottom corner of the bag.

 _That's strange…_ He thought, zooming in on the bag. The label described its contents as water and various dissolved salts. But he'd seen IV's before, heck he'd had one before, and they'd always been clear _. So why is it blue?_ He wondered.

Curious, Phoenix pulled out his cell to make a quick call. He had an itching feeling in his gut, and he just needed to check.

A nurse picked up the phone. "Hello, Alicia speaking from the Hickfield clinic, how may I help you?"

"Hello, I'm just doing a research project and I was wondering if you could answer a question I had?" Phoenix tightened the back of his throat so his voice sounded higher, hoping that the nurse would be more inclined to answer his questions if she thought he was a student.

"Oh, of course! What happens to be your question?" The nurse's voice had a girlish quality to it, she seemed excited to be able to help. Phoenix heard papers shuffle in the background, and pictured her scrambling to organize her materials.

"Thank you so much! I was just wondering what might make Intravenous fluid blue?"

There was silence on the other end, then "Hmmm… That's an interesting question. Usually Introveneous fluid is clear, I know the kind we use here is."

 _Ok, so that's not IV fluid in the bag,_ Phoenix thought decisively.

"Perhaps if another drug was mixed in? I'll ask around for you to see if I can find out, do you mind waiting?"

"Not at all, thank you so much!" While he waited, Phoenix grabbed a pad of paper and scribbled a few notes. Either the liquid in the bag wasn't IV fluid at all, or something else had been mixed into it. _That could be how they got him out quickly. If he was unconscious he'd have been much easier to move._

There was a clatter on the other line, and then the nurse cleared her throat. "Hello? I'm back!"

"Oh, yes! I'm here!" Phoenix switched hands with the phone so that his right hand was free to scribble notes.

"Ok, so we definitely don't have any IV fluids that are blue tinted, and I'm not aware of any that exist. But, we do have a few other drugs that have a blue color. Ahem, there's a few anesthesia medications we have that are colored for easy identification, the FDA just required that. Umm… let me see, I've got the catalog here…"

Phoenix lunged forwards in his chair. "Is there a blue one?" He practically shouted into the phone.

"Oh, yes! There's one here… it's ummm… Oh! It's Ketamine! Yes, the Ketamine we use has a blue tint."

Phoenix felt his stomach lurch. Ketamine was an anesthesia medication used to put patients asleep for surgery. It was also commonly used as a date rape drug, to knock out helpless victims. He felt his pen slip from his fingers, his breath catch.

"Ah- C-could you check something for me? Do you have a record of every dose of Ketamine you've given?"

"Uhmmm… Sure, I can look…" The nurse's tone was a little surprised, she seemed caught off guard by his question. Phoenix felt his heart pounding against his ribs, it seemed like an eternity before there was any sound from the phone.

"Oh!"

"What, what is it?" Phoenix demanded.

"Well, we just finished an inventory this afternoon, and it seems we're actually missing two vials of Ketamine."

 _And that's it._

"Thank you so much, you have no idea how helpful you've been." The nurse tittered her goodbyes and he hung up. Phoenix gathered himself up and went into the office where Athena and Trucy were.

Trucy's head popped up when he entered. The two girls were sitting at the desk, sharing the chair and leaning close to the computer screen.

"Dad! We've made a huge breakthrough!" She leaped towards him excitedly, but came across as more menacing.

"What? What did you find?" Phoenix's heart leaped in anticipation as he jogged around the desk.

"Check this out." Athena said with a grin. Leaning back in the chair, she turned the laptop towards him and hit play.

Immediately, Phoenix was confused. "Wait, that's…us?" He said slowly, gears whirring but not quite meshing. _Where are they going with this?_ He thought.

"Watch, watch, watch!" Trucy waggled her finger at the screen. Phoenix leaned in close to the screen, scrunching his eyes in concentration. The video showed them entering the clinic and walking down the hallway. Athena was a good ways ahead of Phoenix and Trucy at first, but they all arrived at the check in desk at the same time.

"Yeah, I remember this…What does this have to do with anything?" He turned his head towards Athena, eyebrows raised questioningly.

"Boom! Right there!" Athena slammed the pause button and sat back triumphantly.

Phoenix stared at her, then looked back at the laptop. There didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary, the nurse was leaning over the counter to speak with them, and Phoenix himself was pointing to the sign in log.

Frustrated, Phoenix threw up his hands. "Athena, this is ridiculous! Just tell me what you found already!"

"Jeez, I swear you're blind sometimes. Look at the clock." Athena rolled her eyes, but the grin remained on her face. "What time is it, according to the clock?"

Phoenix squinted at the clock, it was tiny but he could just read it. "Err… It looks like it's- oh." Realization hit him like a truck.

Athena grinned. "And there it is."

"The time stamp on this video is an hour ahead. They must have forgotten to turn it back when daylight savings ended, which means the timeline here _does_ match up with the van." Trucy said, making a gun with her fingers and firing it at Phoenix.

"That's brilliant, you two!" Phoenix patted Athena on the back and cracking a wide grin. "Ok, now it's my turn to show you guys something." He reached out a hand and scrolled back the video feed.

"What, did you find something?" Athena scooted aside, using her feet to push along the floor. Trucy hopped up and leaned over, her arms clasped behind her back.

"I've got a hunch." He replied. "See? Right there." Phoenix pointed at the screen as the male nurse came out of a door way, and walked down the hall to Apollo's room. He hit the pause button just as the man turned into Apollo's doorway. On the tray in the man's hands were two small glass bottles of blue liquid, and a syringe.

"Bingo." Phoenix whispered.

"What? What is it?" Athena demanded.

"Right there, see those vials? That's how this guy got Apollo out of the room without a fight. He disguised himself as a nurse, and gave Apollo Ketamine through his IV to knock him out."

"Then he leaves at 8:02, which is actually 7:02, and waits a while…"Athena chimed in, unpausing the video. "Then at 7:16 he comes back with this cart, and he's back out and over to the elevator by 7:25."

"That matches the timeline with the van!" Phoenix smacked the desk in triumph.

"We got his face too daddy! In the reflection of the door." Trucy blurted.

"Seriously?" Phoenix jumped, this was too many good things at once!

"We emailed it to you, and to Ema. Do you think they'll find him?"

Phoenix crossed his arms and stepped back from the desk. As he spoke, he counted off on his fingers. "Well… we've got him on camera where he shouldn't be, we've got him carrying drugs we know are listed as missing, and we've got his getaway vehicle."

"Did you get the license plate number?" Athena's face lit up. Phoenix nodded with a grin. "That's great!" She cried.

"I sent that away to the police. I talked to Ema earlier, she said she'd run it all today. She wants to do anything she can to help Apollo. "

Suddenly, there was a loud rattle. Athena flinched and had to grab the desk to stop her chair from flipping backwards. Trucy leaped forwards and grabbed her phone from the counter.

"It's Sky!" She gasped as she looked at the caller ID.

"You have him in your contacts? Go Trucy!" Athena chuckled.

Trucy stuck out her tongue, but turned and answered the call anyways.

"Hello?" She said meekly.

"Trucy! I messed up, I messed up really bad!" Sky's voice was a panicked whisper, but it was loud enough that both Phoenix and Athena could hear him. Trucy's eyes opened wide in fear.

"Sky? What's wrong, what did you do?" She whispered back.

"Oh man, I messed up!" His voice sounded odd, as if he was holding the phone a distance from his face. There was a loud thud, and then the sound of muffled breathing.

Trucy flashed a horrified look at Phoenix. They were all thinking the same thing. She practically threw the phone at Phoenix, and he immediately began speaking quietly and urgently.

"Sky, I need you to tell me what happened."

"I was walking home from class and I saw the van, the one I told Trucy and Miss. Cykes about. I followed it for a while until it parked and someone got out and left- Oh, man!"

"Sky, where are you?" Phoenix spoke slowly and forcefully.

"I'm in the back of the van. I was looking around and the person came back so I'm hiding now. I can't tell where they are right now!"

"What?! Sky that's-"

"I know it was stupid! I panicked ok?" He coughed quietly, and there was a sound like warping metal. "I took pictures. Something definitely happened in here. There's rope and a bag of linens and some really small glass vials-"

"Do the vials have blue liquid in them?" Phoenix interjected.

"No. They're empty- wait… this one has a tiny bit. Yeah, it's blue." There was a clinking noise as he stuffed them in his pocket.

"Where are you? Do you know where the van is parked?"

"Uhh- It's in that park across from that Fox mansion-" The sound of a car door opening cut off Sky's voice.

Trucy gasped loudly, clasping her hands over her mouth. The air in the room went cold. Athena and Phoenix's eyes met, communicating more than words ever could.

Sky was in enormous trouble.


	16. Chapter 16

Date-December 12, 5:30 PM

Location- Wright Law Agency

It was a sickening feeling, to know something is happening and at the same time know there was nothing he could do about it.

Trucy's cell phone sat on the corner of the desk on speaker mode, broadcasting everything Sky was hearing or saying to the entire room. Something rustled loudly, the sound of fabric rubbing against a leather seat, and then a seatbelt clicking. Sky's breathing was so loud it was overloading the speaker, sounding tinny and distorted.

 _He's holding the phone against his face,_ Phoenix realized, _If we make any noise we'll give him away_. He looked at Athena in panic as the van's engine roared to life, and Sky's breathing got even more rapid.

 _What do we do?_ She mouthed, flapping her hands desperately.

"I-I'm going to jump out and run." Sky's whispered, his panicked voice barely distinguishable over the running engine.

"What? Sky don't- "Trucy was jumping up and down in place, her fists clenched in front of her mouth. She was red faced, practically shaking under the tension.

"Hang on- I'm going to try to get a picture of the driver-"

There was a loud thud, then a cacophony of sound that was almost impossible to identify. They could hear someone shout, a voice too deep to be Sky's, then there was an earsplitting crash. Trucy buried her face in her hands with a gasp. The noise continued, morphing into a more rhythmic thumping and scraping.

 _He's running, he got away!_ Phoenix realized. Adrenaline got the better of him, and he found himself shouting at the phone.

Athena and Trucy joined in, until all three of them were whooping and hollering, cheering like they were at a horserace. Wind whistled past the receiver, Sky's sneakers slapped against the asphalt.

After a solid five minutes of running, there was another loud crash, then Sky cursed loudly.

Athena slammed her hands down on the desk, "Hey, what happened?! Sky, are you ok?"

"Owww…" His voice much clearer, but he was still breathing heavily. "I'm fine. I lost him in the park."

"Wait, you saw his face?" Phoenix gasped.

"No. I just ran, didn't look back." Sky puffed. Athena deflated visibly. "Oh, wait!" Both Trucy and Athena leaned in closer to the phone at the same time.

"I took a picture before I booked it. Let me see." Sky rustled around in his pocket, then clicked open his phone.

Phoenix, Athena, and Trucy leaned in towards the phone, drawn in by the silence.

"Oh man."

"What? Who is it?" Trucy blurted, before either Athena or Phoenix could say anything.

"It's that detective guy. The one who's always with the scary prosecutor with black hair."

Athena whipped her head up and stared at Phoenix, mouth open. Phoenix himself felt as if he'd been punched in the stomach. He tried to reason with himself, tried to stop himself from jumping to conclusions. _This can't be right, something has to be wrong!_

Athena's phone dinged and she scrambled in her pocket to check it. When she opened the picture message, her face froze. She looked up slowly, eyes wide, an expression of horror on her face. She turned the phone around held it out to Phoenix and Trucy.

Though he wasn't wearing his usual white suit, and his hair was styled differently, there was no mistaking it.

The man in the picture was definitely Bobby Fullbright.


	17. Chapter 17

Date-December 12, 6:45 PM

Location- Police station

The station lobby was bustling and loud. Phoenix stood with his arms folded, Trucy and Athena by his side. Sky stood a few feet away, recounting his experience to an officer who was taking notes. Over the phone, Phoenix had convinced him to stay in the park until they could come meet him. Upon arrival, they'd found him hiding behind the shrubs in the parking lot and had walked him over to the station.

Phoenix had called Fullbright right away after seeing Sky's photo. He'd expected Fullbright to explain himself. _There had to be some explanation._ But the detective's phone had gone straight to voicemail.

"Hey, where's Mr. Champion of Justice?" Athena snagged a passing officer by the sleeve, and pulled him back towards her.

"W-Who?" The officer stared at Athena with more than a little fear on his face, clutching his clipboard like a shield. She was taller than he was and had a rather fierce expression on her face, leaning far into his personal space. Their noses were practically touching.

"You know, Detective Fullbright? Where is he, we need to talk to him now!" Athena shook his arm back and forth violently. Phoenix kept an eye on both situations, watching Sky with one eye and Athena with the other.

"Thank you sir, I'll file the report. Mr. Wright, is there anything else you need?" Sky's clerk smiled and capped his pen. Sky stepped back, folding his arms across his chest and looking at Phoenix expectantly.

"Erm, yes. We really need to speak with Detective Fullbright. I called but he didn't answer, is he in?" Phoenix cocked his head a little and grinned pleasantly. He hadn't shown the officer the picture from the cell phone, and Sky hadn't said anything about it. Behind him, Athena had relinquished her officer, and he skittered away. Instead, she leaned around Phoenix's shoulder to listen in on his conversation.

"Uhh, I believe that the detective stepped out for lunch, I haven't seen him in a while." Answered the remaining officer. "Just a moment please." He held up a hand and took a few steps to a desk where someone was typing rapidly. While they spoke Sky stepped back behind Phoenix, scooting a little closer to Trucy.

"You ok?" She whispered, patting his shoulder.

Sky bristled, folding even smaller into himself. "I don't do crowds." He replied quietly, looking around. "Besides, there's something off about this place." Trucy cocked her head at him, and knitted her eyebrows.

"Hey, your elbow's bleeding." She said suddenly. Sky blinked at her, but didn't move. "Come on, I can see it through your shirt." Trucy reached out and grabbed hold of his arm, rotating it to show the small red splotch.

"It's nothing." Sky pulled his arm away and flashed an uncomfortable smile.

Trucy raised an eyebrow at him. "It's not nothing if you're bleeding." Turning, she reached into her bag and pulled out a packet of Band-Aids. She opened one, crumpled the wrapper, and held the sticky side towards Sky. "Here, roll up your sleeve" she said.

Sky hesitated for a moment, but then unfolded his arms with a sigh and hiked up his sleeve, presenting his scraped elbow. "I'm fine, really."

Trucy smiled. "You sound just like Apollo." She whispered.

Phoenix watched the two of them with a slight smile on his face. She had an uncanny ability to make friends with everyone she met. To Phoenix, She always seemed to give off her own light, and lately he'd seen it fading. It was nice to see her smiling again.

Suddenly Athena tugged on his sleeve and held up her phone to display a text message. "It's from Ema." She said. "She says she got all the info we sent her and she's processing it now."

"Got it, thank's." Phoenix nodded to her in acknowledgement, patting Athena's shoulder. "Where did that officer go?" He said, mostly to himself. Athena craned her neck as well, sweeping her gaze around the bustling space.

"This is ridiculous! Where is that bumbling idiot? He better have a real good explanation for all this!" Athena grumped, slapping her hands down on her hips. Phoenix raised an eyebrow at her as a signal to behave herself, but he honestly felt the same way. At that point, they had proven that Apollo had been drugged, they had proven that he'd been in that van. And then for Fullbright to show up with the van? _Sky's right, something feels off about all of this._ Phoenix thought to himself.

"Ouch! What do you want?" Phoenix turned in surprise to see that Athena had captured another passing officer and was interrogating him.

"Where's Detective Fulllbright's office?" She demanded, shaking the confused man.

"O-Over there." He pointed across the lobby, and Athena took off in that direction without as much as a thank you.

"Athena?" Phoenix called after her, but she ignored him and sprinted away. He flashed a look at Trucy, and she nodded back at him. More than a little irritated, he went off to find Athena.

He found her in the detective's office, the door thrown wide open. She was rummaging through his desk, and already had three drawers open.

"Athena! You can't just go through there!" Phoenix chided.

"I'll apologize if I'm wrong." She said flatly, slapping a stack of manila folders onto the desk. The top folder slid sideways, moving off and falling. Phoenix lunged forwards and caught it before it hit the ground, but a few papers still slid out of it.

"At least be more careful with his-" He stopped abruptly, thrown off by what he saw on the paper.

"Athena…"

"Yeah, Yeah, I told you already, I'll apologize later!" She didn't raise her head from the drawer it was stuck in.

"No, Athena… This… This is Apollo's missing person's report." Phoenix choked out. It felt like his throat was stopped up with sand.

Athena stood up and shot him a confused look. "So? He said he was filing one-". Then she too froze when Phoenix held the paper out to her.

Only the first three lines had been filled out on the form, the handwriting scrawling and careless. It lacked the red stamp that would have marked it as "filed" by the station. Fullbright had used this very piece of paperwork to explain why he had been late before. Why would he lie about something like that? What was he doing then that caused him to be so late?

Athena snatched the manila folder off the stack and wrenched it open. As she rifled through the papers, her eyes got wider and wider. Phoenix felt his own stomach twisting as his mind wandered to its own conclusion. _What did Fullbright have to hide?_

"Boss…" Athena fingered the corner of one of the papers, her voice shaky. "These are Apollo's medical records." She peeled a sticky note off of the form and held it up with a grim expression.

Phoenix's stomach plummeted. Scrawled on the sticky note was the word, _Ketamine._


	18. Chapter 18

Date-December 12, 7:10 PM

Location- Police station

Athena burst out the doorway, her ponytail hanging in the air behind her. The stack of folders tilted, then toppled sideways off the desk. Phoenix reached out to catch it halfheartedly, but just missed the papers. They hit the ground, files and forms scattering to all corners of the room.

"Oi, oi, oi!" Athena pounded her hand on the officer's desk. "Listen to me! Where the hell is Fullbright? We need to talk to him right now!"

"I-I don't know! Honestly I don't!" The officer waved his arms frantically, trying to put up a barrier between him and Athena. He flinched when she slammed a fist down beside his keyboard.

"Yo! Does anybody in here know where Detective Bobby Fullbright is?" Athena cupped her hands around her mouth and hollered to the surrounding room. Trucy and Sky froze where they were and turned towards the sound.

"Athena, don't…" Phoenix stepped up behind Athena, reaching a hand up to calm her. He felt heavy, defeated. _Could it really be? Could Fullbright be behind everything?_

"Heeeey!" Athena smacked his hand away and screamed out again. The once bustling station had come to an awkwardly silent pause, officers frozen midstride. "Please, we need to talk to him!" Her hands were balled into tight fists in front of her, tears streamed down her cheeks and flew through the air. "Please!"

KABLAMM!

Trucy screamed and covered her ears. The entire police station bristled, hands going to their holsters reflexively. The air seemed to crackle with an odd static heaviness. Phoenix's stomach plummeted to the floor, the oppressive silence seemed to press inwards on his temples. For a split second, he thought he might be sick.

"That was…That was a gunshot."

Phoenix didn't recognize Trucy's voice for a moment. It sounded so strange on its own, piercing the quiet. "Dad…" She turned, her eyes meeting his from across the room. "Dad… Could that be…?"

"That… sounded like it came from evidence lockup!" Stammered the officer whose desk Athena had been pounding on, blinking up at the two attorneys with a confused expression.

"Show me. Now. Take me there." Phoenix grabbed the man's arm and yanked him out of his chair. He felt numb. There was no emotion, simply a sense of extreme urgency.

"I-I'm not supposed to, that's off limits to-"

"I don't give a damn if it's off limits! You know as much as I do what that sound was, so if you don't take me to where it came from, I'll tear this station apart until I find him!" Phoenix roared.

The officer blinked, wide eyed. "Him?" He blurted.

Another officer tapped Phoenix on the shoulder and jerked his thumb towards a pair of double doors. He was taller than the one Phoenix had a hold of, and looked older. "Follow me. Evidence lockup is this way."

Phoenix grabbed Athena's shoulder and pulled her along with him as he and a group of officers dashed down the hallway, and down the staircase at its end. He called over his shoulder to Trucy, who had sprinted after them, leaving a confused Sky behind.

"Trucy, call an ambulance!"

Athena's legs moved on their own as she half ran, half staggered down the hallway after Phoenix. Door after door whipped past, blurring together.

 _He could be in there, or there, or there._ Her mind had one obvious place to go, but it was taking the long way to get there, spinning around and around pointlessly. Her thoughts were all muddled together. Smeared like wet paint.

Apollo's grinning face flashed across her mind, then morphed into the image of him lying unconscious in the hospital bed, then something spilled and everything was red. Everything was red.

 _Oh god…_

Phoenix slammed his shoulder into the first door that didn't have a padlock. The metal buckled inwards but it didn't open. A few screws tinkled to the floor. "Goddammit!" He roared, backing up and throwing himself at the door again.

Athena stood awkwardly behind him, waiting. _I should be doing something,_ she thought, but her body wouldn't move. She was numb.

After three tries, the door crushed open, one of the hinges flying off into the darkness. Phoenix stumbled forwards, immediately trying to survey the space. He grasped in empty space, caught hold of a pull string for a light, and yanked it. A single bulb flicked on, swinging widely and throwing leering shadows about the room. It was tiny, claustrophobic even. A small round table lay on its side in the corner, one of the legs bent awkwardly. There was a wire bedframe with a mattress that had slipped halfway off onto the floor, and empty beer cans and water bottles were piled in the corner like dusty bones.

But the one thing that drew Phoenix's eye instantly, was the splattered blood pooled in the center of the floor. The blob was smeared sideways in a long streak towards the door, where it devolved into a bunch of smaller drips. As the light bulb swung, the crimson liquid shimmered and gleamed. Phoenix's stomach twisted and his heart leaped into his throat. _He's not here…but he was._ Phoenix tried to tear his eyes away from the blood, but it drew him in.

"Shit!" Phoenix yelled. As he spun to leave something glinted under the wire bedframe. Phoenix dove for it, carefully skirting the pooled blood, and fished around.

His heart dropped at what he pulled out. Apollo's golden bracelet lay in his palm, smeared with grime and blood.

Phoenix clenched his hand around the bracelet, as a sudden anger surged through him.

Phoenix sprinted back out of the room, elbowing one of the cop's that followed them in the process.

Athena looked up from the floor, staring after Phoenix. Her feet started moving again, pushing her forwards after him down the hallway. He ran down to the end of the hallway and kicked open the door, which was already partly ajar. She followed mindlessly, felling like a passenger in a strangers car. Someone else was driving.

The room behind the door was enormous, high ceilinged with tall shelves running in all directions. Athena was stuck with a sudden feeling of helplessness. _Apollo's in here?_ She thought desperately. It would take them forever to search the place!

But without any hesitation, Phoenix dashed around the first shelf and took off down the aisle. He moved with such purpose, it seemed that he knew where he was going.

Trucy bumped against Athena, and she realized that she was blocking the doorway. Phoenix was long gone, but the straggling police officers had finally caught up. One of them caught Trucy by the arm, pulling her back through the doorway.

"You can't go in there!" He shouted, "That's a secure area!"

"Hey, that's-" Trucy protested. Athena squirmed out of the reach of the other officer and took off running. Her adrenaline was flowing, she didn't know where she was going, but she knew she didn't want to wait for the police to sort themselves out.

Athena rounded the shelf to see Phoenix kneeling in front of one of the bomb technicians transport cases. The lid was open, and his arms were inside, reaching for something.  
"Oh god", she thought, her stomach twisting in a mixture of hope and fear.  
Phoenix's lips were moving, he was talking to someone... She couldn't hear him. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears. "Please...please be alive!" she whispered to herself.  
Painstakingly slowly, Phoenix lifted Apollo's limp body from the trunk. The moment Athena saw Apollo's face her heart soared, then plummeted to the depths of her stomach a second later when she saw all the blood.

Oh god, there was so much blood.  
It was smeared on his face, dripping from his feet, soaking his clothes. The left side of his chest was stained crimson, the splotch stretching down to his stomach and the top of his pants. He was bound by thick ropes that constricted his chest and wrists. Red blood had soaked through one side of the cloth gag that filled his mouth, and a trickle ran down his neck. His head hung loosely, his legs dangling as Phoenix went to lay him down, blood trickling from his toes. He looked like a rag doll. He looked...

Athena clapped a hand over her mouth as bile rose suddenly in her throat. Her knees felt mushy, like she was sunk in mud. Her vision blurred, images from another time invading the present. There had been blood then too. So much blood.

Phoenix laid Apollo gently on the floor, his own heart thudding in his throat.

"Apollo? Can you hear me? Apollo, you've got to talk to me kiddo." Phoenix shouted, sitting Apollo upright so he could get at the knots keeping the boys arms behind his back. Apollo slumped sideways, unconscious. "Hey, come on!" Phoenix reached up and pulled the gag out of Apollo's mouth, steadying him with his other hand. The moment the cloth was removed, dark blood began bubbling over his lips. "Shit!" Phoenix hissed. This wasn't something he could handle on his own.

"Athena! Get your ass over here and help!" He yelled over his shoulder.

She was standing just in front of the shelf, her face slack, staring blankly. Her hands hung loosely at her sides. All the color had gone from her face, leaving dark shadows behind her eyes.

"Athena!"

The words echoed oddly in Athena's head, coming to her from far away. The room seemed to warp and smear, like a painting left out in the rain. Athena tried to force her eyes to focus. But she wasn't there. In that moment there was no Athena Cykes. She was lost in a different time, a different reality.

She was back in that workshop so many years ago, a scared, lonely child. Something washed against her feet, but she didn't look. She knew what it was.

 _No…_

Athena's hands rose slowly to her face. Her cheeks were sticky, but whether it was from tears or something else, she didn't know. She was shaking uncontrollably, her knees were weak.

 _I don't… want…_

Her fingers closed over her eyes, shutting out the light. Tears cascaded down her face.

 _I don't want to see this again._

"Dammit!" Phoenix gave up on Athena and instead focused his attention on the ropes restraining Apollo. The ropes had been pulled impossibly tight, and had soaked up some of Apollos blood. Phoenix's own hands were shaking and slick with sweat, making it difficult to work out the tangled mass of knots. As he worked, he tried not to notice how the ropes had rubbed the skin raw, or the bruises that extended almost up to Apollo's elbows. After what seemed like an eternity with no progress, Phoenix let his frustration get the better of him, jerking on the bundle of twisted rope.

Suddenly Apollo let out an enormous gasp, his head arching back as he broke into a fit of wet, heaving coughs, his chest twitching spastically.

"Apollo!" Phoenix grabbed Apollo's shoulders as he fell limp once again, blood dribbling from his chin. Panic flashed across Phoenix's mind. _I've got to get these ropes off now!_

Phoenix dug suddenly in his pockets, searching for some way to cut the twisted rope. His fingers touched metal, and he pulled out his key ring with a sudden rush of adrenaline. _That's it!_ Phoenix adjusted the keys in his hand, and began sawing frantically at Apollo's bonds. The serrated key made quick work of the ropes, and they fell away quickly. Finally released, Apollo took a huge inward breath. His eyelids fluttered open for a moment, but behind them his eyes were unfocused.

Phoenix tossed the frayed rope aside, easing Apollo backwards until he was lying flat on his back.

Suddenly, Apollo's arm shot up and grabbed hold of Phoenix's collar. Phoenix gasped in surprise as Apollo jerked Phoenix's face close to his own. One eye was squeezed shut in pain, but the other was open wide, panicked.

"It's Full…bright… The whole time… everything…" Apollo's voice was desperate, his words choked out between gasping coughs. "He killed… Clay… Shot me- agh!" Apollo grimaced as pain surged through his body. His grip on Phoenix's collar loosened, each finger slipping until his hand fell away limp.

Phoenix caught Apollo's hand before it fell.

Apollo's right eye opened, then drifted half closed. He coughed weakly, it was obvious how hard he was fighting to stay conscious.

Phoenix gave Apollo's hand a squeeze. At the same time, he brushed the hair out of Apollo's eyes and leaned a little closer to his face. The boy's eyes were unfocused, his forehead and cheek was smeared with blood "Hang in there, ok? You've got to stay with me Apollo."

Apollo's fingers twitched in Phoenix's grip. "You…got it…boss…" He whispered, lips curling up into a weak smile. Phoenix smiled back in what he hoped was a comforting way.

But inside, panic and horror swirled like a black cyclone, throwing his thoughts off balance. Nausea pressed against his temples, and his heartrate skyrocketed, pounding like a trapped hummingbird. So _it was Fullbright who kidnapped him! But…he said Fullbright was the one who killed Clay? And that he shot him?_ Fear flared in him suddenly, as the realization hit him.

 _He's been shot!_

Phoenix whipped his head back up, scanning Apollo's body for the wound. He was covered in blood, so much it made it difficult to discern its origin. His left shoulder was swollen, and the skin there was a deep purple, almost a green. But his shirt was intact there, so that couldn't be it. Most of the blood was concentrated around his waist, the dark stain stretching halfway down his leg. As Phoenix's eyes drifted downwards, Apollo's arm raised slightly, his fingers catching the fabric of his shirt and pulling it into his fist.

"St-stomach…" Apollo groaned, "Left side." His shirt was bunched up around his lower stomach, obscuring Phoenix's view of any bullet hole, but there was definitely a lot of blood there. Instinctively, Phoenix reached down and tugged at the fabric so he could see the area better.

Immediately, Apollo let out a loud cry. His back arched, his hand clamping down on Phoenix's wrist.

"I'm sorry! Sorry-I'm sorry!" Phoenix waved his free hand frantically. Apollo sucked air through his teeth and blew it out his mouth loudly. The hand on Phoenix's wrist shook tremulously, the other clenched into a tight fist. His eyes rolled towards Phoenix's, wide, frantic, and full of pain. Then they slid closed, and his body relaxed.

Phoenix's heart stopped for a second. Panic set in as he fumbled his hand around Apollo's wrist, searching desperately for a pulse. It was so loud in his own head, he couldn't hear anything else. _What did I just do?_ Finally his fingertips found a faint pulse, and relief washed over his mind.

 _Ok, he's alright… But he's not out of the woods yet._

Phoenix whipped off his jacket, folded it crudely and pressed it against Apollo's abdomen. Rocking up onto his knees, he slowly applied his body weight to the area, hoping it would be enough to at least slow the bleeding. Crimson liquid squished out around his fingers where he pressed. Kneeling beside the bleeding boy, Phoenix found himself looking around for help. Looking for something. _Anything._

He was all alone, relying on his gut feeling and random medical tidbits he'd heard from forensic techs over the years. _I have no idea what I'm doing…_ He thought, the absurdity of the situation finally reaching him. He looked down at his jacket, rapidly turning purple as it sopped up blood. Apollo coughed weakly, a rivulet of blood running down his lip.

 _This isn't something I can handle on my own._ Phoenix looked over his shoulder, glancing both ways down the rows of shelves. To his right, Athena was still catatonic, she wouldn't be any help. He looked back down at his scarlet stained jacket, and his own blood soaked hands. Phoenix felt his voice catch in his throat, choking him.

"Hey! Somebody! Anybody!" Phoenix threw back his head and shouted to the rafters, "I need help!" His voice echoed back to him, empty and hollow.At that moment, a police officer stumbled around the corner, knocking a box off the shelf as he rounded it.

"I need some help over here!" Phoenix shouted at him, not even trying to hide the desperation in his voice. The officer staggered to a halt with his mouth hanging open. He took one look at the blood, turned a pale shade of white, clapped a hand over his mouth and made a retching sound. His knees were shaking, and he had no gun holster.

 _This guy isn't going to be any help either!_ Phoenix thought in despair. "Get Trucy in here!" The officer looked up blankly, there was a green tinge to his face. "My daughter, the top hat! Get her in here now!"

"R-Roger sir!" The officer sprinted away, and moments later Trucy ran around the corner, holding her top hat in her hand.

"Daddy I'm-" Her voice cut off abruptly. Phoenix didn't look up. He knew what he would see on her face, and it wasn't something he could deal with.

"I need you to hold his head up. Don't let him fall asleep under any circumstances!"

There was no answer for a long time.

"Trucy please!"

Trucy dropped to her knees and scooted sideways, lifting Apollo's head with both hands and depositing it gently in her lap. His eye brow twitched, one eye opening slightly.

"Hi Polly." Trucy whispered.

"H-hey…Trucy…it's good to…see you." Apollo cracked a smile, rolling his head slightly to see her better. His hand lifted weakly, fingers stretching and moving in empty air. Trucy met him halfway, reaching down and grabbing it in her own, squeezing gently.

"You look really different with your hair down." She said, brushing the tangled bangs back from his face. "And your face is all dirty, you goof." Trucy pulled off her scarf and balled it up, wiping the blood and grime from his forehead.

"Sorry…it's not like I could …take a shower…" Apollo mumbled, his eyelids drifting downwards.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Trucy tapped her hand against Apollo's cheek, "Stay with me okay? You need to stay awake." A tear rolled down her cheek and dropped onto his forehead. He didn't react.

"It's good…to see you…" Apollo repeated, his eye's focusing on something past Trucy's face.

"Apollo?" Trucy leaned back a little, confused. Phoenix looked up as well.

Apollo reached a hand upwards, his fingers stretching, feeling for something only he could see. Fat tears leaked from his eyes, and there was a strange expression on his face.

"I missed…you…Clay…"

The silence was deafening. Then…

Athena collapsed to her knees, her hands loose at her sides. Her face was upturned, her eyes red and swollen, her shoulders hiccupping up and down. She sobbed loudly. Her tears soaked her pant legs. Guilt racked her body, so strong it made her nauseous. How could she have been so selfish? She'd been so absorbed in her own past, shed forgotten about the present. She'd focused on her own pain instead of Apollo's. Athena looked at Apollo's blood soaked body through marbled glass, blood and tears both glistening oddly under the fluorescent lighting.

He had someone he wanted to protect too. He was on the same path she was. And yet she'd judged him for it. Everything was repeating itself. Once again she was in danger of losing someone close to her. But… this time she wasn't a helpless little girl. This time she could do something. She could save that someone.

Suddenly, the world rushed up to meet her, sharpening and posturizing. Everything popped and jumped out at her at the same time. It was too bright. She'd turned the knob too far in the other direction. Athena fell back onto her rear, caught off guard by the color contrast before her.

The bright red blood against Trucy's blue cape. Phoenix's dark eyes against his own pale face.

"Athena?" Trucy's voice trembled, drawing Athena even further into reality. She drew in a gasp of air, and felt suddenly invigorated.

"Phoenix, what can I do?" Athena gripped Phoenix's sleeve. He didn't move. Didn't even blink, but kept staring at Apollo's face with a slack expression. "Phoenix. How can I help?" She repeated slowly.

"Ambulance…" He said quietly. "Go… get the Ambulance."

Athena stood to leave, squeezing Phoenix's shoulder as she moved. She forced her herself to step back, tearing her eyes away from Apollo's face. "Hang in there… Apollo." She whispered. Then, she sprinted away among the stacks.

Phoenix, Trucy, and Apollo remained behind, hanging in their own bubble of timelessness. Phoenix had one hand clamped tightly on Apollo's wrist. Between each faint thump, Phoenix felt as if his own heart stopped, time stretching like old gum. Then the next flutter would come, and Phoenix would be able to breathe again.

"Hey, the ambulance is here!" Athena's voice echoed down the hallway.

"I'm coming to meet you!" Phoenix bellowed, hooking one arm under Apollo's neck and the other under his legs, scooping him up and holding him against his chest like a child. Icicles of fear stabbed at his heart. _He was so light!_ Apollo was nearly 24, and yet he seemed so small and frail. Trucy's hand followed Apollo's until she couldn't reach anymore, and his fingers slipped away. His hand dangled, swinging loosely.

"Out of the way!" Phoenix roared as he sprinted back down the hallway. Officers flattened themselves against the wall as he barreled past. At every step, Apollo's arm swung, Trucy's scarf still wound around his hand.


	19. Chapter 19 (resub)

Date-December 14, 10:30 AM

Location- Hickfield Clinic

Athena roused slowly, blinking the sleep from her eyes even before lifting her head from the hospital bed. She, Phoenix, and Trucy had spent the last two day's sleeping and sitting in Apollo's hospital room, watching over him.

So far it had been hell on earth. Upon arrival at the clinic, Apollo had been rushed into surgery, and had remained there for six hours. It had been torture waiting in the lobby, hour after hour, for a nurse to come and tell them if Apollo had survived or not. He had, but only just. His heart had stopped three times, but had started again miraculously each time the doctors were about to call it. The laundry list of his injuries was so long, the summary sheet that hung beside the bed was five pages long. Athena had begun reading it, but had to stop halfway down page two. It made her feel ill to see how close he had come to death. How close he still was, honestly.

According to the nurses, Apollo had three cracked ribs, a punctured left lung, a severely fractured leg, a dislocated shoulder, and a mild concussion, not to mention the gunshot wound in his lower stomach. Luckily, the bullet had traveled straight through him, barely nicking his intestine. It had bled a lot, but according to the surgeon hadn't been nearly as severe as it had seemed. The biggest danger Apollo currently faced was his punctured lung collapsing and pulling the rest of his body into shock.

Athena rolled her head to the left, glancing across the small room. Phoenix and Trucy were both conked out in chairs by the door. Phoenix's head was leaning back against the wall, and he had one arm hooked around Trucy, who sat with her knees tucked up against her chest, and her own head resting on her father's shoulder. They were both snoring, albeit Phoenix much more loudly.

A few people had come by to visit Apollo since he'd been admitted. Most notably, Edgeworth had arrived even before Apollo had gotten out of surgery, bringing a bouquet of daffodils and sunflowers, and a change of clothes for Phoenix. Klavier had come as well, but hadn't stayed long. After seeing Apollo hooked up to a multitude of monitors and ventilators, he had quickly excused himself without another word. Sky had refused to leave Trucy's side for the first day, but wasn't able to ditch class the second. Juniper didn't know yet, Athena had been avoiding telling her. The poor girl would probably make herself sick with panic if she found out.

The morning of the second day, Phoenix had tried to talk Trucy into going home to get some sleep, but she'd refused. In fact, she'd practically started moving into the room, covering the small bedside table with magic paraphernalia she'd unloaded from her bag. Every time a nurse came to check on Apollo, Trucy wouldn't let her leave until she watched a magic trick. Athena had been entertaining herself by doodling mustaches and devil horns in the silly magazines she'd nicked from the lobby. Phoenix had mostly just slept. In the lobby, in the room, on the floor next to the bed, he had the magic ability to sleep anywhere, anytime. Athena got the feeling he hadn't done much of that since Apollo had gone missing.

Suddenly, Athena felt movement under her hand. _He's probably turning in his sleep,_ she thought. If she panicked every time Apollo moved, she wouldn't have been able to relax at all for the last two days. Yawning, she sat up and arched her back to stretch. As she turned her head slightly, Athena felt her breath catch in her throat.

 _No way…_

Apollo was sitting at a slight angle, propped upright by the multitude of pillows intended to keep his head up. His hair was swept low across his forehead, and a thin tube ran from the ventilation machine to his nostrils. That much was the same as it had always been, but now there was a heart stopping difference.

Apollo's eyes were wide open, his face twisted strangely with a wide range of emotions. Tears spilled from his eyes, pouring down his cheeks and dripping off his chin to land on the simple hospital sheets. His cheeks were flushed, a marked difference from the deathly grey they had been before.

"A…thena…" He said quietly, turning his head slightly to look at her. His deep brown eyes glimmered, seeming darker than Athena remembered them. "I don't..." He raised a hand to his face, bandaged fingers quivering. "I don't know why I'm crying…" His face cracked into a perplexed smile. "They just… won't stop..."

Athena stared, frozen. She wanted to do something, but wasn't sure what. She'd lived this moment a thousand times in her mind, but now that it was actually happening she was taken off guard. It was happening too fast.

Apollo raised his free arm in a sudden burst of motion, burying his face in the crook of his elbow and breaking into sobs. His shoulders hiccupped up and down, tears poured down his cheeks and soaked his bandages. "-S-Sorry! I just… can't-!" Apollo choked out between gasping sobs, his voice sounding twisted and confused.  
Purpose gripped her limbs suddenly, and Athena moved instinctually. Placing one knee on the mattress and gripping the bed frame for leverage, she hoisted herself up and threw her arms around Apollo's neck. Apollo's arm wound around Athena's neck, pulling her sweatshirt into his quivering fist. He needed something to hold onto, something to prove he wasn't dreaming.

"I was so s-scared!" Apollo wailed into her neck, his voice muffled by her hair. "I thought I was dead, that I'd never see you again!"  
Athena pressed her face against his cheek, one hand clutching the back of his head, tears of relief and happiness rolling off her chin. She could feel Apollo's body shaking against her own. She felt heavy and weightless at the same time, all of the fear and worry she'd been carrying melting away. "It's alright," Athena whispered comfortingly, "Apollo, you're safe now. I won't let anyone hurt you anymore."

"A-thena..." Apollo stammered between sobs, his words smashed together as if he was worried about running out of time, "I'm so sorry, I should have trusted you, I shouldn't have doubted-"  
"You idiot." Athena laughed into his shoulder, running her fingers through his hair. "You seriously think I give a damn about that right now?"

He laughed too, more a sound of embarrassment than joy, but it was nice to hear either way. She hadn't quite realized how much she missed hearing his voice. Though he was battered and bruised, he was alive. This was real, he was back with them, back in one piece. She could hold him in her arms and prove it to herself. _It's over…This whole nightmare is over._

"All that matters is that you're safe and sound now. We're glad to have you back Apollo." Athena sniffed and scooted backwards slightly, moving to end the embrace. She was extremely aware of how awkward she looked, kneeling over him on the bed. But as she went to move away, Apollo's grip on her sweater didn't loosen, and she had to grab the bedside rail to keep from falling on top of him.

"Apollo?" She blurted in surprise.

"S-Sorry…" His voice was quiet, wavering, "Just give me a second". Athena could feel his hand shaking against her shoulder blades, and the thud of his heart against her chest.

Athena let her head fall gently back onto his shoulder and smiled. "Sure. Take all the time you need Apollo." Secretly, Athena didn't want to let go of him either. _I could hold onto you forever,_ she thought to herself.

For a while, Athena stayed knelt on the bed, her arms wrapped around Apollo. The contact felt good, each of them communicating in ways that words couldn't match. Apollo hadn't had any human contact except for Fulbright for the last few days, and any touch gentler than his was a welcome change.

Then slowly, his grip began to loosen and the two came apart. Athena plopped back down onto her chair and flicked her hair over her shoulder, wiping away a few errant tears. Apollo settled against the pillows and rubbed his eyes embarrassedly, his face bright red with blush. He coughed a few times and plowed his hair back off his forehead. Athena smiled at him and pulled her feet up onto the chair, tucking them underneath her.

"Welcome back Apollo." Phoenix's voice was soft, but still boomed in the tiny hospital room.

Athena turned towards the voice, feeling color rise in her cheeks. Apollo gasped, then broke into a coughing fit out of sheer surprise. Phoenix flushed and raised the arm not hooked around Trucy apologetically.

"Yikes! Sorry, didn't mean to startle you two." He chuckled.

"Nicely done boss. We just got him back, and you nearly scared him to death." Athena said flatly, leaning forward on her chair and handing Apollo a cup of water.

"How're you feeling kiddo?" Phoenix asked, ignoring Athena. Trucy was still fast asleep on his chest, curled up like a cat. His hand was resting on her head, smoothing her dark hair slowly.

"Honestly, I'm sore as hell." Apollo cleared his throat and passed the cup back to Athena, nodding gratefully. His left hand drifted absently over to his right arm, which rested in a sling, fingers hovering over a velcro fastening.

"Hah! I'm sure you are." Phoenix chortled, grinning. "You're lucky to be alive, so if all you are is sore, that's impressive."

Athena stared at him, amazed. Only a few hours ago Phoenix had been a nervous wreck, pacing out in the hallway and downing cup after cup of cheap coffee. But now he was a perfect calm, collected and relaxed, cracking jokes and laughing like nothing was wrong. He had an excellent poker face, if anything. She could expect nothing less of a seasoned lawyer.

As she stared, Phoenix's eyes drifted sideways, meeting hers.

Athena started slightly. Even though Phoenix was smiling, his eyes were clouded and dark. _He doesn't want Apollo to see how worried he is,_ She realized suddenly with a pang of sadness.

"There's something I wanted to ask you… both of you." Apollo said slowly, pausing between each word and staring down at his lap. He twiddled the strap of his sling between two fingers, rolling the fabric.

"Hmmm?" Athena turned back towards Apollo with a smile she didn't feel. She had a sinking feeling that she knew what he was going to ask.

Apollo swung his eyes up without moving his head. His eyes were hard and sharp, and there was something else Athena had never expected to see lurking in their depths.

"Fullbright got away… didn't he?" Apollo said. His right hand clenched into a tight fist and his eyes flashed dangerously. He seemed to be bracing himself for the expected answer. Athena thought for a moment he might punch something.

"No."

All the anger in Apollos face disappeared in a flash. "W-what?"

"No he didn't." Phoenix's voice was almost scolding in its tone.

"Wait- You got him?! How, when did- agh!" Apollo jumped forward off of the pillows, but immediately doubled over in pain. The machines around them erupted in a symphony of bleeps and alarms.

"Woah, woah! Take it easy Apollo! You'll hurt yourself moving around like that." Athena leaped off of her chair and grabbed Apollo's shoulders, forcing him slowly back down. He didn't resist, but let himself sink back onto the pillows, gritting his teeth against the pain. When Athena was satisfied that he was going to lay still, she went to step away. Before she could sit back down, Apollo grabbed her wrist and pulled her back towards him. Tripping backwards, Athena caught a glimpse of Apollo's face, now so different than it had been before.

Apollo looked up at her desperately, the anger that had filled his eyes replaced by incredulous joy. "Is it true? Did they really get him?"

She forced a smile for him, closing her free hand over his and giving it a squeeze. "Yeah, they really got him."

Apollo rolled back on the pillow, staring off into space with a dumbfounded expression. "I don't believe it." He said, releasing Athena's arm. She plopped back down into her chair, but didn't take her eyes off of his face. He'd been through such a wide range of emotions in just the short amount of time they'd been back together, it was making her nervous. She'd never seen him swing so far so fast.

"I guess his plan was to hide in one of the locked rooms and wait till we ran past, then slip out behind us." Phoenix interjected. "Luckily, someone spotted him trying to sneak out after we'd left in the ambulance. An officer stopped him in the parking lot and he wound up getting himself arrested."

Apollo blinked a few times and shook his head slowly. "I'm amazed he wasn't able to talk his way out of it. That guy could lie his way out of anything."

"Well… for one thing, he was absolutely covered in blood. The other officer tried to call an ambulance for him, because he thought he'd been hurt, but of course-"

"It wasn't his blood." Apollo said, glancing down at his hands. Athena closed her eyes. She'd seen the picture of Fullbright being taken into custody, and it made her shudder to think what could have happened to Apollo that would have produced that much blood.

"Daddy…"

Athena looked over, and Apollo seemed to perk up suddenly. Trucy shifted in her seat, burying her face in Phoenix's button down shirt and reaching her arm up around his neck. One of her legs slipped off the chair and dangled, her toes just above the floor.

"Hey baby girl." Phoenix scooped his arms under her legs and lifted her into his lap, squeezing her tightly, and nuzzling his face against hers. She let her had fall naturally against his chest and her hand slid part of the way down his shoulder before hooking on the small pocket above his heart. Phoenix leaned sideways and touched his nose to Trucy's. "There's somebody here who wants to talk to you." He whispered, smiling sideways at Apollo, who beamed back.

Trucy peeked out from under his arm, blinking blearily. Her dark hair stuck up at the top of her head like blades of untrimmed grass and there was a red mark on half of her face where it had been pressed against Phoenix's shoulder. Athena stifled a giggle, she'd never seen Trucy right as she was waking up. Usually when Athena woke, Trucy was already up and bouncing around. The tiny girl looked positively zombified.

Trucy looked around slowly, turning her head instead of her eyes as she swept the room. She locked eyes with Athena and knitted her eyebrows in a tired, confused expression. Athena could see the gears in her head turning, could practically hear what she was thinking. _What's he talking about? Athena's always been here._

Grinning at Trucy, Athena jerked her head towards the bed. The girl blinked a few times, then her gaze continued on past Athena towards Apollo. Phoenix looked like he was about to explode with anticipation.

Trucy stared at Apollo for a while, with no change to her face. It didn't seem to register what she was looking at. Then, slowly her eyes widened, and a bright flush began to rise to her cheeks.

Trucy's face cracked into an absurd smile and she laughed softly, her hands coming up to cover her face. Tears rolled down the backs of her hands, but Athena could still hear her laughing. Phoenix rubbed her arm slowly and let his head fall against hers. No one spoke for a while.

Then, Trucy's hands came away from her face and her head tilted back, her bangs parting to reveal an enormous smile. "Hi Apollo." She blurted, happy tears spilling down her flushed cheeks. Athena felt tears welling in her own eyes, and looked away, clearing her throat loudly.

"Hey Trucy." Apollo smiled wider than Athena had ever seen before, his entire face beaming with pure joy. "I m-missed you a lot." His voice cracked, wavered, and a single tear rolled down his cheek. "I missed you a lot!" he repeated, louder this time.

Phoenix lifted Trucy off his lap and set her on her feet. His hands lingered on her shoulders, giving them a reassuring squeeze. He leaned over close to her ear and whispered something that Athena couldn't hear, holding his head at an odd angle so that she couldn't see his eyes. She could, however, see the glistening track a tear had left on his cheek.

Trucy stumbled forwards, biting her bottom lip in an attempt to hold in her tears. She held her arms out towards Apollo. Apollo raised his own good arm to meet her, his bandaged fingers trembling. When they finally came together, there was a feeling as if something released. Trucy threw herself onto the bed with a sob, kicking her legs up behind her. Apollo curled around her, gathering her in against his chest and cradling her head in his arm as she cried. He buried his face in her hair, eyebrows knitted, tears pouring down his face just the same.

"I'm so sorry. Trucy, I'm so sorry about everything." He whispered, his voice muffled by her hair. "I-I never meant to make you cry like this-"

"Shut up Apollo." Trucy whispered back with a laugh, gathering his hospital gown into her shaking fists, squeezing him tighter. Her small hand circled around his head, fingers tracing down the back of his neck and stopping just as the bandages began.

Suddenly, there was another pair of arms around wrapping around them. Apollo raised his head in surprise and his forehead brushed Phoenix's scruffy chin. A tear dripped down and splashed off his nose, making him flinch. He blinked slowly, lifting his eyes to meet with Phoenix's.

"Apollooo! We were so worrieeeeed!"Phoenix wailed, crushing Apollo and Trucy in his arms and crying like a child. Trucy made a squawking sound as she was pulled sideways, her hand grasping in empty air for something to steady herself so she wouldn't fall on top of Apollo. Athena rose from her chair in surprise, but then fell back on her heels and clapped a hand over her mouth to hold in her explosive laughter.

Apollo slapped an open hand in the center of Phoenix's face and shoved it as far back as he could. "Get off! Your nose is dripping all over the place!" His face was painted a bright tomato red with blush, but there was more than a hint of a smile on his lips.

"Dad you're crushing me!" Trucy flapped her free hand back against Phoenix's leg. Athena couldn't see her face through Apollo's head, but she could hear the laughter in the way her voice rose at the end of the sentence.

"Apollooooooo!" Phoenix sobbed once again, pressing his face against Apollo's. A loud guffaw escaped from between Athena's fingers. Phoenix looked positively absurd, tears and snot smearing down his face, wearing an exaggerated expression. He was rubbing his cheek against Apollo, who was leaning back and trying to push him away, protesting loudly. Trucy was caught between the two of them, laughing happily.

Athena collapsed back into her chair, letting her laughter escape fully. The small room seemed to brighten, grow warmer, as it filled up with the joyous sounds. Athena felt as if she were being dipped in hot water, warm and fuzzy all over.

Apollo was safe. They were all back together. Fullbright was in jail.

Everything was going to be alright.


	20. Chapter 20

Date-December 16, 11:15 AM

Location- Courthouse

"Are you sure about this Apollo?" Athena said as she pushed the wheelchair down the crowded hallway of the courtroom. People stepped out of the way, but glanced over their shoulders as they continued on down the corridor past them.

"That's the eighth time you've asked Athena. The answer hasn't changed." Apollo replied curtly, without turning his head to look at her.

"I'm asking again because I don't believe you. I can see you fidgeting from here." She snapped back.

His fingers froze on the Velcro sling fastening he'd been fiddling with.

"That doesn't prove anything."

"Seriously?"

"Ok fine!" Apollo twisted in his seat to face Athena. He'd borrowed gel from Phoenix and his hair was back to its usual slicked back spiky style. There were still a few splotchy bruises across his forehead and just below his eye, and there was a small gauze band-aid above his left eyebrow, but aside from that he looked almost normal. The color had come back to his face, even though it had only been a few days since he had been rescued. He hadn't even officially been discharged from the hospital yet. Apollo had refused to stay at the hospital while the trial was going on, so Phoenix had spoken with the nurses. He had managed to arrange things so Apollo could go to the courtroom in the morning, then return to the clinic in the evening, as long as he had a chaperon with him at all times, and he didn't over exert himself.

"Fine! You got me, I'm nervous. But that's just how I am! I always get fidgety before case's, why do you think I do chords of steel? It calms me down, gets a load off my chest." He lifted his arm slightly in its sling as he went to gesture, then flinched.

"You're not supposed to move that." Athena chided as Apollo turned back around in the chair.

"I talk with my hands alright? It's a habit." He grumped.

Grinning inwardly, Athena steered Apollo's wheelchair down a side corridor towards the courtroom lounge. The previous case had just ended, and the contents of the courts gallery were spilling out into the hall, blocking the corridor.

"Excuse us! Sorry, cripple coming through!" Athena called, cupping her mouth with her hand and steering Apollo with her hip.

"Cripple?" He said loudly, but there was evidence of a laugh behind his voice.

The people jumped out of the way, bowing and apologizing profusely. Standing pressed against the wall, they craned their necks to get a peek at Athena and Apollo as they passed. Any kidnapping was hard to keep out of the papers, let alone the kidnapping of a well-known attorney. Half the city knew about what had happened. Even back at the clinic the nurses had had to do battle to keep reporters from sneaking in.

"I got it!" Apollo called, and Athena barely had time to blink before he kicked the lobby door open with his good leg. Athena gasped, and not knowing what else to do, rushed inside before the doors could close on them. As the wooden doors drifted shut, Athena could feel the confused stares of their accidental audience burning into her neck.

"What the heck was that Apollo?" She demanded once they were inside, feeling her ears grow hot with embarrassment.

"You were distracted, so I got the door." He said, looking over his shoulder and smiling innocently.

Athena popped her hip out and raised her eyebrows. "Be honest. You just wanted to see if you could kick it open, didn't you?"

Apollo grinned at her mischievously.

"Apollo justice!" Called a voice to their left. Both of their heads swiveled in unison, like a pair of owls.

Miles Edgeworth rose from a couch on the far side of the room and moved towards them. Apollo noted his gait as he moved. Edgeworth walked by swinging his legs from the hip, barley bending his knees, and planting each foot purposefully. Apollo hadn't met him before but he could tell just by looking at him that he was dedicated to his job. He had the gait of a prosecutor, deliberate, powerful.

Athena turned bright red, and hoped he hadn't seen their unceremonious entrance to the room. She'd heard enough about Edgeworth from Phoenix that she didn't want to look stupid in front of him. He was chief prosecutor for Christ's sake! She'd be lying if she said she wasn't at least a little star struck.

"Here." Edgeworth said, holding out a small paper cup full of Amber tea to Apollo. "It's not the best quality tea I've ever had, but I've found it helps the nerves." He smiled kindly and patted Apollo gently on the back.

"Ah, thanks." Apollo took the cup with his left hand and blew on it lightly before taking a sip.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Justice," Edgeworth said, tucking one hand into his pocket and taking his other hand from Apollo's shoulder to touch his spectacles. "My only regret is that it had to come under these conditions."

Apollo nodded vigorously, unable to answer due to a mouthful of tea.

"Mr. Wright talks about you a lot Mr. Edgeworth! He says you're very dedicated." Athena chimed in, filling the awkward silence. Her heart fluttered crazily as she spoke, she'd never met anyone of such high legal caliber.

Edgeworth looked at Athena without blinking for a long while. "Oh!" He said suddenly. "Miss Cykes, I do apologize for not recognizing you at first. I have heard about you from Wright, but I don't believe I've met you in person." He stuck out a hand and Athena took it shyly. His handshake was firm, reverberating up her arm as if it were jello.

"Don't worry about it, really! It's very nice to meet you as well Mr. Edgeworth." Athena said, tilting her head downwards reflexively and firming up her grip, still blushing wildly. She felt a twinge of irritation, _Who the heck did he think I was then?_ Apollo slurped his tea loudly. Athena kicked the wheelchair behind her back.

"Are Wright and his daughter coming today?" Edgeworth said, releasing her hand and glancing around the room.

"We came straight from the hospital, and the only shuttle that would fit his wheelchair didn't have enough seats for everyone to ride together. So, I came with Apollo, and Phoenix took Trucy on the bus." Athena explained. "They should be here by now though." She glanced around the room, but sure enough it was empty except for the three of them.

Edgeworth pulled out a pocket watch and popped it open. "Well, he's got around ten minutes to get here. The trial can't wait for him this time."

 _This time_? Athena thought with an internal snort. _There's some history there_.

Just as soon as he'd finished speaking, the lobby doors suddenly burst open and Phoenix rushed in, dragging Trucy behind him. "Sorry! Sorry, it's crowded out there." Phoenix exclaimed with a nervous laugh as he skidded to a halt. Trucy stumbled against the couch, carried forwards by perpetual motion. Phoenix had forgone his usual courtroom attire in lieu of something slightly less formal. Trucy had picked out his outfit herself, black slacks, a white button down shirt with a pink tie. He'd rolled his sleeves halfway up his arms, and looked remarkably like Apollo. Trucy, of course, was garbed in her usual cape and top hat.

"There's a huuuuuge crowd out front!" Trucy piped, skipping around the couch and waving to Apollo. She frowned when he didn't wave back. "What's wrong Polly? Are you nervo-"  
"Don't ask." Athena interjected as Apollo opened his mouth. He closed it again, glancing at the floor and touching his arm gingerly.

Trucy clasped her hands behind her back and bounced a few steps away. Her gaze flashed from the floor, to Apollo, to Athena. Athena shook her head, a signal for Trucy to let it go. They all knew Apollo was stressed, but recently he'd been downright explosive. Just listening to his voice had been giving her headaches from all the clashing emotions. When he'd first woken up, she'd been so relieved, everything had seemed muted. She was in a state of euphoria, they all were, and as such, she'd pushed all the little tells to the back of her mind. But now that it had been a little while, they were all beginning to notice that things hadn't been quite right with Apollo.

"Oh! Apollo, on our way over we saw a really cool looking noodle shop. Wanna go after this?" Trucy turned back towards the wheelchair and smiled innocently, batting her eyelashes. She skipped forwards and leaned over in front of the chair, tipping her top hat. Athena raised her eyebrows, impressed with her dedication. Trucy's positive attitude was contagious, and not even Apollo could stay cranky when she was around. Somehow, she always knew exactly what to say to cheer him up.

"That sounds…nice." Apollo smiled and knitted the fingers of both his hands, folding one finger over the other. However, he still didn't look up from his lap. He'd finished his tea and the empty cup was resting in his lap.

Trucy flicked his nose, startling him. He whipped his head up, blush flaring back to his ears, his mouth open in protest.

Trucy was waiting for him. "There's the Apollo I know!" She said cheerfully, grinning with her entire face. "Buck up, ok? You're going to be just fine!"

Apollo stared at her for a moment, his mouth open in surprise. Then he too broke into a tentative smile. "Yeah…" He said. "Yeah, I'm fine!"

Athena smiled warmly. That one, he'd meant.

Phoenix and Edgeworth stepped aside, moving to the other side of the room so they could converse in relative privacy.

"Thanks for this, Miles. I really appreciate it." Phoenix shook Edgeworth's hand vigorously, clapping both of his hands around Edgeworth's. One of his sleeves was scrunched partially up his forearm, but the other had slid back down and appeared to be buttoned normally at his wrist.

"It's my pleasure, honestly." Edgeworth patted Phoenix's shoulder heartily. "How's he doing? Justice I mean." He said quietly, flicking his eyes towards Apollo.

Phoenix sighed heavily and let go of Edgeworth's hand, scratching the back of his head. "He's better." He said, glancing over at Trucy, Athena, and Apollo with a fond but weary expression. "But he's hurting."

"I can't imagine it's easy for him." Edgeworth shook his head sympathetically and slid his hands back into his pockets, sinking down in his shoes. His eyebrows knitted, and his eyes drifted downwards, his entire face sinking slightly. "And I honestly hate to ask him to relive all of that, but…"

"Miles." Phoenix interrupted suddenly, his voice stern. Edgeworth looked up, raising an eyebrow. "When I told him you wanted him to testify, he tried to climb out of bed right then and there. He's been taking notes on napkins, going over everything to make sure he hasn't forgotten anything!" He swept his arm outwards, gesturing towards Apollo. "Look at him Miles! He can't even stand on his own, but he's here! He wants to be here, because he wants Fullbright to answer for all of this."

"Alright, alright! I get it." Edgeworth held up the palm of his hand toward Phoenix, his eyes closed. He adjusted his glasses, glancing up at Phoenix with eyes like shards of obsidian. "If you're worried I'm not going to give this my all, you are sorely mistaken. There's no way I'll let that son-of-a-bitch get away with what he's done."

Phoenix blinked. He'd seen Edgeworth fired up, but this was something completely different. He was genuinely angry. There was heat behind his expression, lighting up his grey eyes from within, making his lenses flash menacingly. Phoenix sucked in a breath and blew it out, tapping the toe of his shoe on the ground and turning away.

"I haven't seen you this intense in years." He said, looking back over his shoulder. "I almost feel sorry for whatever poor attorney you're up against."

Edgeworth looked up from his pocket watch with a slightly amused look. "I almost feel sorry too. Almost."

Apollo looked back over his shoulder as Edgeworth and Phoenix approached. Phoenix noticed with some interest that he had something in his hand. He closed his fingers protectively around whatever it was when Edgeworth placed a hand on his left shoulder and squeezed gently.

"Are you ready to go?" Edgeworth smiled reassuringly. Apollo blinked up at him and swallowed thickly.

"As ready as I'll ever be I guess." Apollo squeaked, smiling nervously.

"Treat him well Miles! I still need him after this, alright!" Phoenix called teasingly, twiddling his fingers in Edgeworth's direction.

Edgeworth glared at him, then adjusted his glasses again, pressing them against the bridge of his nose with his pointer finger. "I've instructed the bailiff's to save you special seats in the court gallery." Edgeworth took hold of the wheelchairs handles and turned it sharply towards the side entrance of the courtroom.

Apollo teetered in his seat, grabbing the armrest in surprise to keep himself from toppling sideways. His good leg popped up as a counterbalance. "Uh, bye then! I guess?" He called over his shoulder, waving his closed hand as Edgeworth steered him briskly away.

"Bye Apollo! You're going to be fine!" Trucy shouted after him, cupping her hands into a megaphone around her mouth and hovering up onto her tippy toes.

Athena leaned over to Phoenix and folded her arms with an unimpressed look. "You've gone and done it now."

"He's just fired up." Phoenix replied with an amused grin.

Athena popped her hip out and raised an eyebrow sassily. "Are you sure? He sounded pretty annoyed, and I'm not usually wrong."

Phoenix slapped her shoulder with a chuckle. "Relax Athena, Edgeworth's in his own league. Just ignore his mood swings, he's always been like that." He gestured to Trucy and stepped back, nodding his head towards the doorway.

"Come on you two. We've got a trial to watch."


	21. Chapter 21

Date-December 16, 12:00 AM

Location- Courtroom No. 3

"The court room will come to order!"

The general rumble of voices died to a silence, broken every now and then by someone coughing or clearing their throat. Trucy rocked nervously in her seat, swinging her legs in tight circles. Phoenix placed a hand on her knee, and her legs stopped.

The courtroom looked the same as it always had, with the judge's bench situated in the center of the space and the two attorney's benches running out opposite to each other. The walls were paneled with a warm, coppery maple, and the wall mounted lighting created a friendly atmosphere.

It felt strange to be looking at the room from such a different angle. Athena glanced sideways at Phoenix, curious to see if he was feeling the same way she was. He was staring dead ahead with a blank expression, but his leg was tapping up and down a mile a minute. Athena smiled to herself, finding solace in the fact that she wasn't the only one who was nervous.

"Would the prosecution please make their opening statement? Chief Prosecutor Edgeworth, please go ahead."

Edgeworth cleared his throat loudly and squared his shoulders. He pressed his glasses up on his nose, something Athena had noticed to be a habit of his, and picked up one of his neat stacks of paper.

"On December 13th, Mr. Justice was reported missing from his hospital room. Shortly afterwards, a threatening text was sent to the cell phone of Miss. Athena Cykes. A police search of the area turned up security footage, as well as video from a neighbor that showed a van parked outside the clinic at the time of Mr. Justice's kidnapping. Later the same day, a van matching the description of the one seen at the clinic was spotted and followed to the police station. After officers there heard a gunshot, the building was searched and Mr. Justice was discovered in the basement, heavily injured. Mr. Bobby Fullbright was apprehended after he attempted to flee the station, with Mr. Justice's blood splattered on his clothes." He glanced up from his papers, his eyes boring into the defense attorney's across from him. "Not to mention the fact that Mr. Justice himself survived to implicate Bobby Fullbright as his captor."

The Judge was silent for a moment, his eyes wide. He blinked a few times, then scratched his beard, shaking his head in dismay. "How terrible…" He said quietly. "To think someone would do such a thing. Thank you Prosecutor Edgeworth, you may call your first witness."

The defense attorney swallowed nervously, and adjusted his tie.

"Your honor, my first witness is Apollo Justice himself." A murmur rolled through the gallery, like a wave of uneasiness. Phoenix closed his eyes and rolled his shoulders as if they were sore. Trucy's legs started spinning again, and her hands cupped against her cheeks as if she intended to plug her ears.

"He'll be alright." Athena whispered, though she was nearly sick with anticipation herself.

"If you'll just bear with me, the witness is wheelchair bound due to his injuries. I'll bring him over." At a nod from the judge, Edge worth sidestepped the bench and strode quickly over to the velvet rope that lead to where witnesses usually waited. His footsteps echoed loudly as every head in the gallery turned to watch him.

The gallery where Athena, Trucy and Phoenix sat was raised above the courtroom, giving them a bird's eye view of the proceedings. However, this meant that there was a rather large blind spot as people or objects were obscured as they moved towards the wall that formed the front of the gallery.  
The witness waiting area was one of those blind spots. Athena craned her neck as Edgeworth disappeared from view, floating up off her seat in an attempt to catch a glimpse of Apollo. Phoenix cupped a hand over her shoulder and pushed her back down with nothing but a slightly amused smile.  
Athena frowned. She had wanted to catch Apollo's eyes and give him a thumbs up before he actually testified, just to remind him that they were all there supporting him. Her right hand was already in position, and she let her thumb fall as she swallowed her nervousness.

Trucy shook her shoulder and pointed as Edgeworth came back into view, pushing Apollo in his wheelchair. "Look, look! There he is!" She whispered excitedly. Then she cupped her hand around her mouth into a megaphone shape, drawing in a large breath of air, obviously intending to cheer loudly.  
Athena slapped her leg and shushed her with a frantic finger to her lips. "Shhh! This isn't a sporting rally Trucy! We have to be quiet!"

"That's no fun..." Trucy pouted dejectedly, but she let her hands fall and remained silent.  
Athena let out a breath and turned back towards the courtroom. She'd missed the approach, Edgeworth was already swinging Apollo's chair to a halt just in front of the witness stand. Keeping a hand on the chair, Edgeworth locked the chairs wheels so it wouldn't roll, then bent over and said something to Apollo that even Athena, with her extraordinary hearing, couldn't pick up. Apollo seemed to nod, and Edgeworth gave him a final pat on the shoulder before he moved away, returning to the prosecutors bench.

Beside her, Athena heard Phoenix swallow loudly before settling forward, steepling his fingers and balancing his elbows on his knees. She ignored him, instead focusing in on Apollo. He was sitting incredibly strait, shoulders square to the judge, unmoving. It almost looked like he was holding his breath. As Athena watched, his left hand crept up to scratch the back of his neck, the way it always did when he was nervous.

Athena screwed up her face against the wash of anxiety, sympathy, and good old adrenaline that coursed through her. Puffing out her cheeks, she sent a few dozen prayers down to him, hoping he didn't pass out or throw up or something before the trial could finish. _You got this Apollo_ , she thought as she stared intensely at the back of his head, _you can do this_.

"Jesus Athena, don't light him on fire."

Athena turned, ready to give her boss the chewing out of a lifetime, but the judge's voice brought an enhanced silence over the room.

"Mr. Justice," He said slowly, "Before we begin, I'd like to make it known that you have my utmost sympathy for what you have been through. I admire the courage it takes for you to stand in this courtroom and testify so soon after everything that has happened." The judge's face was serious but calm, his mouth obscured by the familiar bushy beard. His voice had a friendly quality to it, to Athena it was almost calming.

"Thank you your honor. It means a lot to hear that."

Athena sucked in air over her teeth at the sound of Apollo's voice, her stomach flip flopping. She knew he was nervous, but his voice betrayed just how nervous he actually was. While to someone else it might have sounded normal, relaxed even, Athena didn't even need Widget to pick up the underlying tremor that betrayed his composure. However, there was a tiny twitch of something else that she couldn't quite identify, something that worried her the more she thought about it. Her finger went to her earlobe reflexively, but, finding only empty space, curled back against her palm.

"He'll be ok Athena." Trucy whispered, rocking on her haunches to be closer to her. "Remember, he's got us on his side!" She smiled cutely, flicking her own earlobe pointedly. Athena smiled back and nodded, but didn't honestly feel any better. Phoenix looked at the two girls out of the corner of his eye with an eyebrow raised, not moving from his hunched position.

"Well. With that said, please go on ahead with your testimony Mr. Justice." The judge swept his hand outwards, bobbing his head at the same time as a signal for Apollo to begin.

Edgeworth's eyes flicked up to the gallery for a split second before landing back on Apollo.

Apollo cleared his throat loudly, a wet sounding cough that made Phoenix and Athena flinch simultaneously. Trucy closed her eyes and began whispering something, but Athena wasn't listening to her. Her full attention was on Apollo.

Apollo turned something in his fingers, then clenched his fist, took a deep breath, and began.  
"On December 12th, Bobby Fullbright abducted me from my hospital room. He drugged me, tied me up… Once, I woke up and he was kneeling over me, shoving a phone in my face. When I tried to speak, he dropped a knee into my sternum, fractured four of my ribs and punctured my lung. I couldn't breathe. I was a bargaining chip to him, not a person. He beat me to within an inch of my life, and when he felt the noose tighten, he tried to get rid of me by shooting me in the gut and leaving me to bleed out." Apollo's head swiveled towards the defense. Though Athena couldn't see his face, she was sure that he was staring into the eyes of the attorney, almost daring him to prove him wrong. "I fully believe that he intended to kill me from the very beginning." He said flatly.

Apollo's words hung in the air for what seemed like an impossibly long time, as no one spoke, no one breathed. Athena felt herself shiver as he finished. His voice was so cold, so hard, and yet swirling with so many conflicting emotions it made her slightly nauseous.

He was still nervous, still afraid, but now those emotions were dwarfed by something else, something much stronger. Anger, an icy malice dripped from every word he spoke, making the hair stand up on the back of her neck. She'd never heard hatred like that, from anyone in her entire life. She blinked, realizing that her hand had risen to touch Widget. She swallowed dryly and tucked her hands tightly between her knees.

 _Hang in there, Apollo,_ she thought. _Hang in there._

The judge blinked a few times, his eyes wide, then shook his head slowly. "My word." He said under his breath. Then, clearing his throat and blinking again, he turned to the defense. "Mr. Ogino, he's all yours."

A rustle rose and fell across the gallery as heads swiveled and people adjusted in their seats, attention moving from the prosecution to the defense. The defense attorney wasn't young, he had a well-kept goatee and looked comfortable enough in the courtroom. His dark hair was slicked back in a sweeping curve from his forehead, a shock of blonde streaking back from his temple. Athena stared at him, looking him up and down in an attempt to get a read on him. His suit was cool and suave, but she could see the beads of sweat on his forehead from all the way up in the gallery. She didn't even have to hear his voice to know just how terrified he was.

Athena glanced at Phoenix in her peripheral, curious as to what he thought of the nervous man. Phoenix was still sitting forward, his elbows on his knees, but he now wore an amused smile, his chin resting on the palm of his hand.

Ogino swept up the papers in front of him, tapping the stack against the desk and clearing his throat at the same time. "Mr. Justice, I am truly sorry for what happened to you." He said quickly, as if he was prefacing something. His voice was deeper than Athena had expected. She giggled internally, realizing that she'd imagined him with a squeaky mouse voice.

"Mr. Justice you say that Bobby Fullbright was the one who abducted you?" Ogino continued. "Did you ever see his face, directly?"

"Yes I did." Apollo's answer was abrupt, coming seconds after Ogino's last word.

Athena sighed, stiffened. _He was expecting that question._

Ogino nodded silently, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. "Mmm Hmm. Did he speak to you, did he ever tell you why he would do something like that?"

Apollo's head angled towards his injured arm, turning just enough that Athena could see a sliver of his face. His expression was tight, held back. His eyes were closed, and his shoulders rose and fell as he took a deep breath. Athena swallowed thickly. She knew exactly what it felt like. To have everything about you questioned, analyzed.

"He told me that he was responsible for the murder of Clay Terran. He needed to stop the investigation into his death because he knew it would lead to him in the end. I was a ransom, basically." Apollo shrugged to emphasize his point.

Ogino blinked. "You said he was Clay Terran's murderer?" He stammered, clearly surprised. That revelation hadn't been covered in the opening statement, and clearly Ogino hadn't heard anything about it. His eyes flicked over to Edgeworth, who was standing calmly behind the prosecutions bench with his arms folded, his finger tapping against his forearm. He smiled and waved his hand silently, gesturing for Ogino to continue.

"That's what he told me." Apollo repeated, his voice slightly less controlled. Athena noticed the muscle in his neck work as he clenched and unclenched his jaw.

Ogino's mouth hung open for a moment, his eyebrows slightly raised. His hands were frozen on his sheaf of papers. He looked confused as to what to ask next, completely hung up on Apollo's words. Trucy giggled beside Athena, pulling her knees up and bracing her heels on the edge of her seat.

"Mr. Ogino. Are you going to continue, or shall I go ahead and declare a verdict?" The judge sounded genuinely annoyed at the attorneys seeming lack of preparation.

"O-Of course, I apologize your honor!" Ogino's shoulders prickled upwards, and he reshuffled his stack of papers. He turned back to Apollo, a nervous smile playing across his lips. "Mr. Justice, you said that you were drugged? How did you know that?"

"I felt very groggy, lightheaded. It was very hard to stay awake." Apollo replied.

"Mmm Hmmm. Mr. Edgeworth, did the tox screen confirm this?"

"Yes. The police found ketamine in his IV, and a very faint trace of it in his blood stream." Edgeworth answered, without even looking down at his neatly organized papers. Athena smiled, impressed with his level of preparation.

"Thank you Mr. Edgeworth. So, if Mr. Justice here was under the influence of drugs during the event, even if it wasn't by his own doing, couldn't it be said that his testimony is unreliable?"

A rumble of sound went up in the gallery as everyone reacted to the accusation. Athena leapt to her feet in a fit of indignation, fully prepared to hurl an insult down at the attorney. She felt her face grow hot, frustration boiling up from within. _How dare he! How dare he not believe him, after everything!_ Beside her, Trucy made a sound like she was about to explode.

Once again, Phoenix sat her back down by pulling her wrist until his hand was flat on top of hers on the bench. She whipped her head around to face him, mouth open, holding her free hand out in protest. The look on his face tore at her heart.

His expression was pained, twisted with understanding. "Athena, trust me, this is killing me just as much as it's killing you, but he has to fight his own battles here." He whispered desperately, squeezing her hand and flashing an anxious smile. "He knows we're here. He knows we believe in him. You two have done the best you can for him." He flicked his fingers towards Athena's unadorned earlobe. Athena blushed, sucking in her lower lip in embarrassment. Phoenix smiled knowingly. "Good luck charms help, they really do. Especially when they're from good friends."

"Order in the gallery please!" The judge boomed, drawing attention back to the courtroom floor. Athena jerked a lock of hair back behind her ear angrily, then turned back to glare daggers at the defense attorney. Trucy reached out and grabbed a hold of Athena's hand, squeezing it tightly. Athena squeezed back.

"Mr. Ogino, are you leveling an accusation against a witness?" The judge continued, raising an eyebrow at the attorney.

"All I'm saying is that Mr. Justice may not remember the events correctly because he was drugged!" Ogino seemed to be growing more and more confident, as his stuttering was becoming less and less frequent, and his voice louder and stronger. As he spoke, he shrugged his shoulders and held up his hand like it was obvious.

Athena ground her teeth to keep herself from shouting out. She was boiling, but she wasn't nearly as mad as Apollo. Even though she couldn't see his face, his head was bowed forward slightly and his hand was resting on the armrest of the chair, clenched into a fist so tight his fingers were white. A tendon in his neck was taught, his jaw clenched. He hadn't spoken in a while, and Athena got the feeling it was because he had nothing nice to say.

"Mr. Ogino, I really don't care if you find Mr. Justice credible or not." Edgeworth said curtly. Phoenix seemed to perk up a little bit, and Trucy drew a sharp breath at the sound of his voice.

Ogino flinched visibly. The judge blinked a few times, and raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything.

"I'm not about to stand idly by while you hurl unfounded accusations at the only firsthand witness in this entire case, not to mention the victim of a terrible crime. The thing is Mr. Ogino, this is a court of law," Edgeworth crossed his arms, tucking his hands tightly against his sides and leaning back on his heels. He angled his jaw upwards, looking down at Ogino along his nose. His expression dripped with contempt. "You can't just say whatever pops into your head. You need proof. Evidence." He picked up one of his stacks of paper and slapped it back down on the desk. "Like this." He said with a smile.

Phoenix whistled quietly and tapped his fingertips together, rocking forward in his seat. "Here it comes." His face split into a wide grin. Trucy giggled with excitement and pedaled her feet in front of her.

"Edgy's in the zone!" She whispered, shaking Athena's hand spastically.

Edgeworth pressed his palm down on the stack and swept in an arc, spreading the papers evenly across the wooden surface of the desk. "The blood found on Fullbright's clothes belonged to Mr. Justice. The rifling on the bullet recovered from Mr. Justice's body matched Fullbright's gun. The reflection in the security footage recovered from the clinic matched Fullbright's image. Fullbright was documented driving the van that was used to abduct Mr. Justice." He glanced up over his glasses. "Should I go on?"

Ogino recoiled as if he'd been slapped. He opened and closed his mouth dumbly, like a fish out of water gasping for air.

"That's just-"

"OBJECTION!" Edgeworth slammed his hand down on the desk, scattering the papers with the air that came off his fingers. The judge twitched in surprise. "Do you or do you not have a single shred of proof that Bobby Fullbright wasn't the one kidnapped and tortured this young man?!"

"Hold it Edgeworth! The most basic principle of the court system is that defendants are innocent until proven guilty, not the other way around!" Ogino lashed back, leaning forward over the desk as the conversation grew more and more heated.

"I _have_ proven him guilty! I have shown you overwhelming proof that he is responsible for this crime. You haven't been able to provide a sufficient explanation for any of it, and instead all you've been doing is questioning the credibility of my witness? Really?" Edgeworth was shouting now. Athena watched in fascination, she'd never seen Edgeworth so heated before.

There was an awkward silence. Ogino bit his tongue, unsure of how to respond. The air in the room felt heavy, pressing down on the back of everyone's necks. People shifted uncomfortably in their seats all across the gallery. Athena's heart pounded against her ribs so loudly she could have sworn Phoenix could hear it in the silence.

"Your Honor, may I say something?"

Athena gasped in surprise, then clapped a hand over her mouth. Trucy let go of her hand with a soft "Oh". Apollo's voice rang out in the courtroom unexpectedly, calm and clear. It was strangely unreadable to Athena, like murky water. Though the surface was smooth, she couldn't see into it's depths. Hair prickled up her arms, and she felt a shiver blast up her spine.

"Mr. Justice," The judge smiled softly. "Please go ahead."


	22. Chapter 22

Date-December 16, 2:00 AM

Location- Courtroom No. 3

The courtroom was dead silent, so quiet that one could hear the footsteps of people passing out in the hallway. Apollo coughed softly, clearing his throat with a fist against his lips.

"Mr. Ogino," Apollo began, filling the space with the sound of his voice. Athena felt a glimmer of surprise at how clear and calm it was.

The Defense attorney blinked in surprise at being addressed. He shifted uncomfortably on his heels, adjusting his tie nervously.

"It's true that at first I was definitely groggy and confused. At that point, even I wasn't sure what I was seeing. But, hour, after hour, the drugs wore off. And I had a whole lot of time to think, in that basement. There was nothing I could do but go over everything in my head, relive every tiny detail." Apollo turned towards the defense attorney suddenly. He leaned forward slightly in his chair, the hand on the rest curling over the edge of the armrest. Athena could see his face in her mind, cold and stony, but determined. That much she could hear in his voice. "I remember everything Mr. Ogino. I can tell you exactly what the cracks in the ceiling looked like. I can tell you how many steps there are to the stairs leading out of the basement. I can tell you that Fullbright has a cut on the third knuckle of his right hand he got when he punched me in the teeth. I can tell you exactly what was in that room, and exactly how many beer cans were stacked in the corner. "He cocked his head slightly to the side, and Athena could just see his mouth curve up into a pained half-smile. "Do you still think I'm unreliable?"

Edgeworth stood with a hand hooked over his mouth, holding his elbow with his other arm. His dark eyes flicked between Apollo and the judge, his eyebrows slightly raised, but the rest of his body remained motionless. Athena could just detect the edge of a smile under his fingers. Beside her, Phoenix blew out a sigh, his shoulders deflating slightly. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, and saw a very similar expression to Edgeworth's.

The judge took a deep, loud breath. "I think that demonstrates just how competent Mr. Justice is. Mr. Ogino!"

"AH! Y-Yes your Honor!?" Ogino stiffened as if he'd been zapped with electricity.

"Move on from this silly argument will you, I'm losing patience."

"O-Of course your honor."

Ogino began rustling through the papers on his desk. His movements were almost frantic, skittish and rapid.

Athena smiled to herself. It's over, she thought, he's got nothing. Deep inside, it felt as if something was unwinding, like a tightly coiled spring finally releasing. A tingling sensation poured down her spine, making her hair stand on end.  
 _He's really going to pay for it. Everything will really be over. And Apollo_ , her throat closed, twisted in unspoken pain.  
 _Apollo will go back to the way he used to be._  
"Mr. Ogino, do you have any more questions for Mr. Justice?" The judge said loudly. He was tapping his pointer finger against his gavel, and one of his eyebrows was arched in an annoyed looking way. He was clearly losing patience.  
Ogino took a huge breath of air and held it for an impossibly long time. He looked down at his desk, eyes desperate and searching. After turning his entire stack of papers into a scattered mess, he blew it out loudly, shoulders slumping dejectedly.  
"No your Honor. No, I don't. "  
Edgeworth's smirk cracked into a full smile.

The judge said loudly, "Well then, I move that we take a short recess before the prosecution calls its next witness." The gavel came down with a resounding crack.  
A crescendo of motion went up in the gallery as people stood to go to the restroom, or turned to speak with the people around them. The wooden benches creaked and flexed as its burden shifted.  
Athena was dizzy with relief, her head feeling like it was about to pop off her neck and float up to the ceiling like an escaped balloon. She closed her eyes and took a deep, wobbly breath. After everything, she wasn't quite sure how she was supposed to feel.  
Trucy was vibrating in her seat, shaking the entire bench. Athena turned to tell her to stop, but seeing the pure joy on her face, she couldn't bring herself to chastise her.  
"Come on you two."  
Athena looked up and saw Phoenix already standing, gesturing towards the exit with his thumb. "Edgeworth wants to talk."  
A little interested in how he knew Edgeworth wanted to talk, Athena took Trucy by the hand and slithered her way out through the thick crowd.

Edgeworth was waiting for them back in the courtroom lobby, which now contained a smattering of officers and onlookers from the gallery who had gotten up to stretch their legs. He had Apollo with him, and when he saw them he retreated into the far corner in the interest of privacy.  
Trucy waved enthusiastically as they approached, and Apollo waved back.  
Athena felt joy swell within her, but then shrink back a moment later.  
She was close enough now to really see Apollo, and he looked terrible.  
He wasn't sitting as rigidly as he had been in court, to be honest he looked like a half deflated balloon the way he was slumped sideways against the armrest. His head was sitting low on his shoulders, and dark, grey clouds had begun to develop under his eyes. As Athena looked at him, a droplet of sweat ran down his temple.  
She swallowed. He looked like he was about to pass out.  
"You did great Apollo!" Trucy danced back and forth in place, leaping from one foot to the other. "Way to stick it to him! That attorney didn't know what hit him!" She pumped her fist in the air like she was at a wrestling match.  
Apollo's lips twitched up into a tired smile. "Hah! Yeah, he seemed pretty unprepared." He said softly.  
Athena smiled, warmed from the inside. The emotions she heard from Apollo now we're much more comforting than the ones she'd heard before. He was relieved, happy, proud, but still sad and conflicted. They weren't all positive, but the roiling sea had calmed to a soft swell every now and then. It was a start, somewhere they could work forward from.  
She stepped forward and raised her hand, intending to pat him on the shoulder. At the last minute she thought better of it and instead gave him an enthusiastic thumbs up.  
Apollo grinned back, his head tilting slightly as he did so, eyes closing. The way he used to.  
"Thanks you guys." Apollo passed something from his bad arm to his good one and held it out to the two girls. "For everything." His fingers unfolded, revealing two earrings, one in the shape of a crescent moon and one shaped like a diamond.  
Phoenix smiled as he watched Athena and Trucy replace their earrings while Apollo chuckled at them. _I knew it_ , he thought with a smile.  
Edgeworth tapped his foot, drawing Phoenix back to their conversation.  
"Like I said, he's exhausted. I really don't think he can make it through another hour of testimony. I think you should take him back to the hospital so he can get some rest."

Phoenix whistled softly and scratched the back of his head. "He's not going to like that."

"Look at him Nick, he can barely sit up on his own." Edgeworth flapped a hand towards Apollo, leaning a little closer to Phoenix as he spoke. He reached up, placing his other hand on Phoenix's shoulder. "He did well today. He really did. But now, he needs to rest and focus on getting better."

Phoenix raised his eyebrows and smiled.

"Yeah, I guess he did."

"Huh? Apollo?" Trucy said loudly from behind them. Phoenix looked back over his shoulder.

He could just see Apollo's head over the back of the wheelchair, descending slowly before popping back up again over and over. Trucy was leaning forward with a concerned expression, while Athena had her hand on her hip and an amused expression on her face. Phoenix chuckled to himself as he watched Trucy fuss while Apollo struggled to stay awake.

Phoenix turned back at the sound of a throat clearing. Edgeworth stared back at him with an expression that reeked of "I told you so".

Phoenix clapped him on the shoulder with a grin and strode away. "Yeah, yeah, I read you. I'll get him home." He waved a hand over his shoulder as he walked.

"Daddy, Apollo's-" Trucy blurted as he approached, but Phoenix cut her off.

"He's just tired Trucy." Phoenix stepped up behind the wheelchair and mussed Apollo's hair gently, leaning his upper body against the chair with one arm on the handle. He lowered his head closer to Apollo's and said quietly, "If you're tired, it's ok to go to sleep, Apollo."

Apollo jerked his head up, eyes opening wide. Phoenix lurched back, narrowly avoiding being head-butted. "I'm awake! I'm totally awake!" He shouted, his cheeks flaring an embarrassed bright red. Even so, the dark grey bags under his eyes were growing darker and heavier by the second. "I'm… super…awake…" His voice slurred, and his head bobbed again.

Athena hooked a finger over her nose in an attempt to muffle her snickering. Phoenix smiled again and patted Apollo's head. "Take a nap kiddo. Nobody's judging."

Apollo slumped to his side slightly, his head falling back against the handle Phoenix wasn't leaning on. He'd loosened his tie, and his collar was hanging open just enough for Athena and Trucy to catch a glimpse of the top layer of the bandages encircling his neck. His eyes drifted shut, his cheeks still red as tomatoes as his muscles slowly relaxed.

"Wake…me up…after…the recess…" He mumbled, before finally succumbing to exhaustion and sinking into the seat, entirely asleep.

"Good night Polly!" Trucy whispered, waggling her fingers at him.

"We're not staying, are we?" Athena said as Phoenix tried to take the locks off the wheels as quietly as he could.

"He's not." He pointed down at Apollo, "I'm not." He jerked a thumb towards his own chest. "You two can if you'd like. You still have my metro card right Trucy?"

Trucy nodded vigorously, her top hat wobbling atop her brown hair.

Phoenix glanced up at Athena. "Are you going to stay?" His hands closed over the handlebars of the chair, gently brushing Apollo's head aside so that it rolled into the center of the backrest.

"Actually, I'd like to go back and make sure everything's alright with him. I've had just about enough of that defense attorney." Athena replied, not doing a very good job to hide the disgust in her voice. She patted Trucy on the back just below her neck, looking down at her kindly. "But if you want to stay Trucy, I'd be happy to stay with you."

Trucy shook her head. "No, I'm good. I'd like to go back as well. Those benches made my butt hurt!" She grinned goofily from ear to ear and tipped her top hat.

"I'll call and see if they have a bigger van available this time so we can all ride together." Phoenix pushed Apollo's wheelchair towards the door with one hand, pulling out his phone with the other. "Keep me posted Miles, I'll come back down if you need anything." He called back, flashing one last grin over his shoulder before the double doors closed between them.


	23. Chapter 23

_note: Hello everyone! I know I've never written a note like this before but I wanted to talk to you all! I apologize for the long wait for this chapter, but I really struggled for the right way to end this story. I wanted to end everything nicely, and I was just having a hard time making it all work you know? So unfortunately this is the last chapter of this story. I want to thank you all for reading, commenting, and favouriting! This was my first story here, so I really appreciate all the attention and critiques. I'm currently working on a short follow up story to this one, but after that I need some ideas! I'd be completely open, so if anyone's got suggestions I'd love to hear them! Thank's again everyone, and I hope you enjoy this last chapter!_

Dear Junie,

Thank you so much for the big basket of fresh fruit! They were really delicious, and we all enjoyed eating them, Apollo especially loved the apples. He's out of the hospital now, so that's good. He's actually staying at Wright anything right now, because his apartment has stairs and he can't move around too well just yet. It's pretty fun, like a big sleepover! Mr. Wright got a folding bed out of storage and is letting Apollo use his bed. Trucy sometimes comes and sleeps over at my place, but she mostly stays there. To be honest, I think she's having a lot of fun playing nurse with Apollo.

He's supposed to be on bed rest, but I keep catching him up and running around. He's so antsy, always fidgeting. We've been giving him our paperwork just so he's got something to do, but I kinda feel bad treating him like a secretary. He doesn't need his sling anymore, but he's still got a big brace on his leg. It keeps him from bending it and he's not supposed to walk on it at all. He has crutches now instead of his wheelchair so it's a bit easier for him to move around. Most of the time he just sits on the couch and goes over papers though. Any one of us can tell he's bored out of his skull. Trucy has been coming up with new tricks left and right trying to cheer him up.

Anyway, you asked for an update on the trial. Fullbright lost his defense case with regards to Apollo's kidnapping. We threw a big party when Mr. Edgeworth called and broke the news. We had popcorn and a cake and everything. Apollo was upset that he couldn't be there but he wound up with a cold from being out and about with a weak immune system, and the clinic wouldn't let him go. For the time being, Fullbright's awaiting sentencing. The Prosecutors office is still investigating Clay's death and gathering evidence for their case against Fullbright. Mr. Wright is working really hard to help out with the investigation. I still think it would have been easier to compound the two trials together, but I guess the prosecutor's office wanted to get him away on something while they figured out the other evidence. So far it's looking pretty good, I think they'll be able to go to trial within the month.

So, it's been pretty busy around here! We've actually gotten a lot more clients thanks to this whole mess, and Apollo's pretty much famous now. There was an article in the paper about it all, Trucy actually cut it out and stuck it to the fridge. But enough about us, how are you? Is the studying going alright? How's your garden doing? Have the strawberries come in yet? I remember last time I visited you'd just planted them. I bet they taste real good! It feels like forever since I've seen you. I think the last time was back when that bomb went off in the courtroom.

You should definitely come down to visit soon Junie! It'd be fun to see you, and I bet Apollo would enjoy it. We could all go out to eat together, oooh that'd be real fun! Anyways, that's pretty much my summary of everything that's happened. I'm actually sitting at the coffee table next to Trucy right now as I'm writing this, and she's telling me to say hi for her. So, hi from Trucy.

That's all for now, write back soon ok?

Love, Athena

(and Trucy)


End file.
